A Pyrrhic Victory
by InfinitePanicAttacks33
Summary: Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase were the best of friends. Practically inseparable. That is, until the day of the concert. After that, Percy starts sporting mysterious injuries and pushing everyone he loves away until one day he disappears from the lives of everyone he holds dear to him with no explanation, only to return four years later, a different person. AU. Percabeth.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! This is pretty much my first ever story on Fanfiction so I am still _very _confused about how the heck I do everything. I had to read and watch around 10 tutorials just to post this one chapter so yeah...thats kind of embarrassing. Any tips would be appreciated and constructive criticism would be cool. **

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING. THE PLOT YES, BUT EVERYTHING ELSE PRETTY MUCH BELONGS TO GOOD OL' UNCLE RICK, THE PUBLISHERS, AND ALL THAT CHIZ. **

CHAPTER ONE- CATS? YEAH, RIGHT.

"He should've been here half an hour ago!" Screamed Annabeth Chase into her cellphone, turning a few heads in the process. She glared at the staring people causing them to hastily walk away.

"Yeah I'm listening. I just got distracted by a bunch of nosy idiots." Annabeth paused, sighing exasperatingly, as she listened to the feminine voice on the other side of the conversation speaking. "I know that, but he's never been this late. Especially not after last time when I-"

Annabeth frowned. "Thalia calm down! He'll be here, just wait! We'll be there in a few minutes. Trust me, when I see him I will personally make him wish he had never"-Annabeth's grey eyes widened-"PERCY! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?"

A boy with messy jet-black hair and sea green eyes was pushing through the crowd towards her, limping slightly.

"Excuse me! Sorry!" He said as he bumped into an old lady carrying a Chihuahua in her pudgy arms. "Humph!" she said, and walked away. The boy made his way out of the crowd, tripping on someone's foot, and falling right at Annabeth's feet.

Annabeth put her hands on her hips and shook her head, causing her blonde curls to shake in their ponytail, as Percy quickly got up and brushed off his jeans. He flinched slightly, but Annabeth had no time to comment on it as Percy started to ramble an excuse.

"I'm really sorry Annabeth! There was this cat in a tree and it looked so sad, and I thought that maybe I had time to get it down, but it was really high up! You know I'm a bad climber! I just couldn't leave it there though! The kitty was all like '"meow meow meow"' and I was like "'I'll get you down kitty!"' You know I can't break a promise!"-Percy was breathing heavily-" But then the cat scratched me and I was like "'bad kitty! Bad bad kitty!"-Percy imitated scolding the ground-"but I got it down anyway and ended up falling off the tree! I'm sorry! Really Annabeth, I feel horrible!"

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "You done?"

"Yeah," said Percy.

"Good." Annabeth replied, proceeding to stomp on Percy's uninjured foot.

"Ouch!" Percy whimpered, while hopping on one foot "What was that for? I gave you an explanation!"

"_That_ was for making me go through Thalia's anger. Now come on!" Annabeth grabbed Percy's arm, only slightly guilty at the fact that she had made him grimace, and dragged him through the crowd towards a ticket booth where a boy and a girl Annabeth recognized as Nico and Thalia were waiting for them impatiently.

Both the Thalia and Nico had equally jet-black hair and shirts with the words GREEN DAY in big letters, but other than that they looked completely different. The girl had intimidating electric blue eyes, sharp features, and was standing with her arms crossed in anger where areas the boy had eyes so brown, they were almost black and was bouncing around with excitement.

"PERSEUS-YOU WON'T TELL ME YOUR MIDDLE NAME- JACKSON! YOU. ARE. DEAD!" Thalia was stormed right up to Percy and jabbed him in the chest with her finger, "YOU IDIOT! THE GREEN DAY CONCERT STARTS IN THREE MINUTES AND YOU'RE JUST STANDING THERE LIKE SOME STUPIFIED ROCK OR SOMETHING WHEN YOU SHOULD BE RUNNING IN THERE LIKE A MANIAC!"

Percy Gulped.

"COME _ON_!" Thalia grabbed the arm that Annabeth had been previously holding and wrenched Percy in the direction of the ticket booth. She shoved their concert tickets into the hands of the security guard, and noticing Thalia's anger, he quickly stepped aside to let them in.

Thalia pushed away all the people in their path until they reached their seats in the front row, and shoved Percy onto his seat mumbling something under her breath that rhymed with plucking mass mole as she took her own seat.

Nico sent Percy a look of pity, noticing the look of pain on his face.

_Thalia didn't shove Percy that hard, _thought Annabeth with confusion, but shook the thought away when Billie Joe Armstrong appeared on stage followed by his amazing fellow band members.

Thalia went practically insane. Nico was buzzing with more energy than usual. Annabeth was ecstatic. Percy was trying to hide his pain with a fake smile

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After the concert Thalia could not stop talking.

"That was awesome! I can't believe it! The concert was even better than I expected it to be! I'm even willing to be forgiving and let Percy off the hook for causing us to almost miss the beginning of the concert!"

Nico feigned a look of surprise. "Thalia?! _The_ Thalia Grace being forgiving! It's the end of the world!" Nico waved his arms around dramatically

Thalia shot Nico an angry look. "Don't use my last name."

"Sorry, forgot. Concert adrenaline still flowing," said Nico apologetically.

Thalia didn't stay mad as long as she usually would and smiled, "I'll let that one slide just for today. Did you notice how hot the lead singer was?"

"Ummm no…" Nico raised an eyebrow.

Annabeth rolled her eyes at her friends (who also happened to be cousins) and noticed that Percy was acting strangely quiet. She turned to look at him and noticed that he seemed unusually pale.

"Percy, are you okay?" Annabeth asked Percy with concern etched in her eyes.

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit claustrophobic, you know?" Percy replied with a strained smile.

"Did you really hurt yourself that bad when you fell out of that tree?"

"Nah, I forgot all about that." Replied Percy

"Are you sure?" said Annabeth " Because if you want we could-"

"I'm going to go to the restroom, okay?" interrupted Percy. His hands were clenched.

"Okay but-"

Percy had already walked away.

Thalia had stopped laughing and turned around.

"Where's Percy?" Thalia's eyebrows were furrowed.

"He said that he needed to go to the restroom, but he's acting really weird," replied Annabeth in a distant tone.

"Eh, he's probably just still afraid that I'll beat him up. No need to worry about old kelp-head," Thalia waved her arm nonchalantly.

"I guess,…" said Annabeth, but not before catching a flash of bruised skin as Percy opened the restroom door.

_That was no accident,_ thought Annabeth.

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**So, that was the end of the chapter.**

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	2. Hurricane Perseus

**I'VE BEEN ASKED BY A FEW PEOPLE WHAT MY UPDATE SCHEDULE FOR THIS STORY WILL BE. HERE IS THE ANSWER: I AM PLANNING ON UPDATING THIS STORY AT LEAST ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK. ****NOW I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU GUYS.**

**FOR THE REVIEWS SHOULD I-**

**A.) NOT ANSWER THE REVIEWS AT ALL**

**B.) ANSWER THEM AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH CHAPTER**

**C.) ANSWER THEM IN P.M.**

**D.) ANSWER THEM AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER**

**I WILL DECIDE WHAT TO DO AFTER AROUND 10 REVIEWS TELLING ME WHICH YOU WOULD PREFER.**

**NOW ON TO THE STORY!**

**DISCLAIMER- I OWN NOTHING, BUT THE PLOT. RICK RIRODAN AND THE PUBLISHERS OWN THE REST. **

ANNABETH'S POV-

"SHUT UP, NICO!" Thalia shouted.

"I'm singing! Let me enjoy my music, woman!" Replied Nico in the same tone.

"You sound like a pack of wolves giving birth," Thalia looked about ready to strangle Nico," Shut up!"

"Make me!" Nico went right up in Thalia's face,"LALALA! BLAH BLAH-"

"ARGH!" Thalia jumped at Nico.

I rolled my eyes. Nico's sister, Bianca, had picked us up from the concert and was now driving us home. Nico, Thalia, and Percy were sitting in the back and I was sitting in the front. Poor Percy.

I twisted around in my seat, expecting to see an irritated Percy, but was surprised to see that he looked perfectly calm. Bored even.

"Aren't you being driven insane by Nico and Thalia back there?" I asked.

Percy's eyes flickered from the window, to me, and then back.

"I'm used to it by now." Percy's voice was dull.

"Percy, I know I've asked this twice already, but are you seriously okay?"

The city lights shone across Percy's face.

"I'm fine," he answered stiffly.

I pursed my lips and sat back in my seat.

Percy and I have been best friends since we were four. We are now twelve. That's almost seven years of friendship, so obviously I can tell that something is wrong with Percy. I don't like to accept answers I know aren't correct, but I'll have to suck it up and accept Percy's. For now.

Nico yelped, interrupting my thoughts. "Bianca!" He sounded like a tattling kindergartener. "Thalia is sexually abusing me!"

"Am not!" Thalia said.

Nico scowled at Thalia. "Are too!" He turned to look at Bianca with an indignant look on his face. "She have me a nipple twist!"

"You deserved it!" Thalia turned towards me. "He started talking about his stupid Mythomagic cards again."

"They are not stupid!" Nico growled.

"Yes they are," Thalia said ", and don't you dare deny it again."

"Fine," retorted Nico ", but at least they aren't as stupid as your pine tree addiction!"

"Why you little-"

Bianca tapped my arm and I turned to look at her.

Keeping her eyes on the road, Bianca asked, "Annabeth can you please get Thalia and Nico to be quiet for a bit?"

"Sure," I replied.

I turned around and chucked my jacket at Thalia's head. She stopped mid-Nico throttle and turned around.

"What?" She asked calmly. Thalia hardly ever got mad at me.

"Bianca wanted me to get you guy's to shut up. I think she wants to tell us something," I replied.

I sat back in my seat as everyone gave Bianca his or her undivided attention. Even Percy. Bianca was like a big sister to all of us, and everyone cared about what she had to say.

"Okay guy's, remember our deal." Bianca said. "If anyone asks, I was with you the whole time."

Everyone nodded. When we had asked Bianca if she could take us to the concert she had said that she was scheduled for a date on the same day, so we all decided to tell our parents we would meet Bianca there and that she would be with us the whole time. In reality, we would go to the concert while Bianca was at her date, and then she would drive us home. Our deal was that Bianca would let us go alone as long as we didn't tell our parents. For some reason, our parents were worried that something bad would happen to us if we were left alone for long periods of time. That's the only thing they have in common.

After a few minutes Bianca said, "Okay we're at your apartment Percy."

"Thanks Bianca," Percy said. He opened the door and got down.

Bianca lowered her window. "You're welcome. Tell your mom that I said hi, okay?"

Percy smiled a real smile, as he usually does when his mom is mentioned. "Sure thing."

I got down from the car and Percy's grin faltered. "Why are you getting down?"

"I _always _walk you to the front door." I replied, raising an eyebrow.

Percy's face went cold. "Not today. Get back in the car Annabeth."

"Not until you tell me why I can't go with you today." I could hear the annoyance in my own voice.

"I don't _need _to give you a reason, Annabeth." Percy said through clenched teeth.

Bianca, Nico, and Thalia were watching our exchange in silence.

"Yes you do. Unless you want me to sit here all night until you give me an explanation." I replied with determination.

I meant it and Percy knew it.

What can I say? I'm a stubborn person.

An angry look crossed Percy's face and he grabbed my arm roughly, opened the back car door, pushed me in beside Thalia and Nico, and slammed the door shut.

"Put the child lock," he said sharply to Bianca through the open window.

She did.

"What the heck, Jackson?!" I yelled loud enough for Percy to hear.

He ignored me and fast walked towards his apartment building.

Silence.

Nico whistled. He was the first to speak. "Wow. I knew Percy had a temper, but that's the first time I've ever seen him strike out at Annabeth."

Thalia punched him on the shoulder, proceeding to face me. "Annabeth, are you okay?"

"Of course I'm okay!" I replied angrily. "Percy acting like a jerk won't mess up my mood."

"I think it already did." mumbled Nico.

Thalia jabbed him in the gut with her elbow.

"Ouch!" Nico glared at Thalia."What did I say?"

"Guys, just stop already!" I was sick and tired of hearing them bicker. "Let's just go okay?"

Bianca sent me a sympathetic look through the rearview mirror and started the car.

I leaned my head against the door, an angry look on my face.

_I am so giving Percy a piece of my mind at school tomorrow._

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**SO, THAT'S THE END OF THE CHAPTER.**

**REVIEW, FOLLOW, FAVORITE, OR NONE.**

**CHOOSE YOUR DESTINY!**


	3. Kronos's Army

**I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO ANYONE WHO HAS REVIEWED, FOLLOWED, OR FAVORITED MY STORY! IT REALLY ENCOURAGED ME TO FINISH AND UPDATE THIS CHAPTER QUICKER. I'M NOT SURE IF THIS IS MY BEST CHAPTER, BUT I THINK THAT IT IS PROBABLY ESSENTIAL TO THE STORY BECAUSE IT PROVIDES MORE UNDERSTANDING OF PERCY'S LIFE AND HINTS ON WHATS GOING TO HAPPEN LATER ON. SO YEAH, ON TO THE STORY!**

**DISCLAIMER-I AM NOT RICK RIORDAN SO THEREFORE I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THIS, BESIDES THE PLOT.**

PERCY'S POV-

After I was out of view of Bianca's car, I sprinted towards the direction of my apartment number. I fumbled with the key, opened the door, and slammed it shut when I was in the semi-safety of my living room. I leaned my back against the door and slid to the floor, burying my head in my arms.

"Percy?" A voice asked tentatively.

I looked up and saw my eight year-old brother, Tyson, standing in the hallway leading to our bedrooms. He was wearing his Finding Nemo pajamas, big brown eyes examining me carefully with worry.

I stood up and knelt in front of him. "Hey buddy, where's mom?"

"She called and said that she would be working late again." Tyson scrunched up his nose. "We have to stay alone with Gabe."

"Where is he?" I asked, looking around. "Usually his lazy butt is on the couch."

Tyson giggled at my use of the word "butt" and shrugged his shoulders. "He said that he would be gone for the night, but to tell you that if you told mom he would-" Tyson thought for a moment "-knock your lights out."

A flash of rage went through me, but I stayed calm for Tyson. He had what the some people called "selective mutism" and I was one of the few Tyson would willingly talk to. I didn't want to ruin that.

"Well then, we've got the house to ourselves for a few hours. What do you want to do?" I asked.

Tyson thought for a minute. "Can we watch Wreck-It-Ralph Again?"

I ruffled Tyson's hair. "Sure thing. You get the popcorn ready, and I'll start the movie. Deal?"

"Deal!" He said and ran off.

I smiled.

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_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

I rolled over and slammed my hand onto my alarm clock. When that didn't seem to work, I started to smash it with my fist. My alarm clock stopped beeping, but I threw it across the room for good measure. I'm not a good morning person.

I lay in bed for who knows how long, when I heard a knock on my bedroom door.

"Percy, honey, get up. You'll be late for school." Said my mom through the door.

I groaned loudly and swung my legs over the edge of the bed, getting up without looking. Big mistake.

"Ouch!" I yelped as I lifted my foot off the ground.

I had stepped on one of smelly Gabe's broken beer bottles. Great. Now I had something else to add to my list of injuries.

I hopped around the room, trying my best to quickly get ready for school. I put on my shoe and limped into the kitchen after gingerly wrapping some cloth around my bleeding foot, and found my mom making breakfast. She turned around.

"Good morning! How many-" Her eyes narrowed. "Percy why are you walking like that?"

I sat down in the chair next to Tyson. He always wakes up more early than I do. "I stepped on broken glass. It's not a big deal." I shrugged.

"Of course it's a big deal!" My mom put a plate of blue pancakes onto the table in front of me. "Here, you eat while I see how deep in the glass went."

I knew better than to argue with my mom, so I started eating.

My mom took off my shoe and sighed, "Geez Percy, you didn't even take out the glass."

I looked down sheepishly, as my mom went to get the first aid kit from the kitchen cabinet . She walked back and started to treat my injury.

Tyson, who was eating his pancakes quietly up until now, leaned over the table to get a better look.

His eyes widened. "That's a lot of blood."

"Sweetie", said mom gently ", finish your pancakes."

Tyson went back to eating his food, slightly pale, just as my "step-father" walked into the room. I was surprised he fit through the door considering the fact that 99.9 percent of him was probably pure fat. He had his usual three strands of hair gelled back as if he thought it would make him look like Channing Tatum or something. Yeah, right.

He smirked when he saw that I had injured myself. "Did your retard of a son not watch where he was going, Sally?

Before my mom could reply, I glared at Gabe and snapped. "For your information, _Gabe_, it was your fault for leaving your broken beer bottles lying around in my room."

My mom had finished wrapping up my foot. "Put on your shoe." She seemed angry. "You never told me that it was one of Gabe's bottles. You said it was just glass."

"I didn't think it was something I had to mention." I said, standing up. "Come on Tyson, I'll walk you to school."

Tyson rapidly got up and followed after me. Mom turned to give Gabe a stern look.

"Gabe please don't leave things like that lying around. I-"

When mom wasn't looking, Gabe turned his head to me and mouthed:

_You're going to get it, later._

I forgot. Gabe hated it when mom gave him lectures, no matter how small, and I was the cause of this one. Knowing that I had nothing good to look forward to later on, I turned around and led Tyson out the door.

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"Bye Percy!"

"Bye Tyson! I'll pick you up after school!" I yelled back.

"Okay!" Tyson said cheerfully before running off.

When I checked my watch for the time, my grin faded away. It was almost eight! I sprinted towards the direction of my school, glad that it was so close to Tyson's and was almost to the door when someone yanked me from my backpack strap. I fell on my back, the impact knocking the air out of me. The sun was in my eyes and I couldn't see.

"Looks like we've caught ourselves a fish." Someone's foot was pushing down on my chest. I gasped. "Not much of a fighter, are you?"

I gave the speaker a dirty look. He just laughed.

"Lift him up."

I felt rough hands haul me to my feet and I blinked several times to get the colors out of my eyes. The person I saw standing before me was Ethan Nakumara, third in command of Kronos's army.

They aren't really an army, more like a worldwide crime group. Everyone knows who they are, they've been featured on the news various times, but no one really knows much about them. Only the basics; that they are not to be messed with, they will destroy anyone that gets in their way, and they do not care for anyone. Not even each other.

"Have you decided where you stand yet?" Ethan asked me.

"I'm not joining you." I stated firmly.

Ethan grinned and gestured at the group of at least ten people surrounding me. "Hear that? He thinks he has a fair choice!" The group laughed.

Ethan went right up in my face and whispered something so only I could hear. "You do know that if you don't join us we will be forced to kill all your family and friends ,right?"

It must've shown how much that affected me because when Ethan stepped back he sneered. "That's right. Every single one of them will die unless-" He jabbed me in the forehead. "- You join us."

He let that sink in. "You've got a week, and when that week is over you better have an answer." He snapped his fingers. "Let him go."

I fell to the ground like a rag doll.

I stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity. Even when I heard their footsteps fade away, and even when the bell rang for school.

All I could think was,

_I'm screwed._

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**THE END...OF THIS CHAPTER.**

**THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL PROBABLY BE WHERE THINGS START TO REALLY PICK UP SO BUCKLE YOUR SEAT BELTS BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO BE A BUMBPY RIDE! YEAH I TOTALLY RIPPED THAT OFF FROM SOME MOVIE. PROBABLY FROM A BOOK JACKET.**

**REVIEW, FAVORITE, FOLLOW, OR NONE?**

**MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR!-HUNGER GAMES REFERENCE, RIGHT THERE! **


	4. 3 Topics and a Thalia

**I'm sorry that this chapter took a bit longer to write. Originally I'm not supposed to be on the computer right now because my mom doesn't like me using it. Something about it hurting my eyes and rotting my brain, stuff like that. She doesn't know I have a Fanfiction account (or even that it exists) so she thinks that I'm on Facebook or etc.. Anyways, here's the chapter! Just for you!**

ANNABETH'S POV-

Percy seemed to be having a late junkie, because when I searched the classroom for him, he wasn't there. We only had Greek mythology and P.E. together so I had a limited amount of time to search for him during class, which kind of put me down a bit because I was very much looking forward to bashing on him for stuffing me in the car like that yesterday.

Everyone knows that Percy has bit of a short temper, but he's never taken anything out on me, even in his worst of moods. Trust me when I say that an angry Percy is something you should never cross with. Somehow, he can turn cookies into weapons when he's like that. The difference between yesterday and the times before that though, is that he has never before lashed out at his friends. _At_ _me_.

I tapped my pencil on my notebook, pondering about what could have enraged Percy so much, when someone walked into the classroom. I looked up, along with the rest of the class, and saw Percy stride up to Mr. Brunner, our Greek mythology teacher, and whisper something to him.

Mr. Brunner nodded his head in confirmation and gestured for Percy to sit at his designated seat, which just so happened to be next to mine.

Percy kept his head down, even as he sat, causing his dark hair to cast shadows across his face. It was hard to read his expression, but based on his body language I was pretty sure that he was troubled.

I turned my attention back to Mr. Brunner, once in a while casting sideways glances over at Percy, only to see him staring off into space as if searching for an unseen solution to a complicated problem.

The rest of the period went on like this, seemingly normal, but the illusion was broken when the bell rang.

I got up from my seat and slipped on my backpack. Percy was still in his daze, so I took this as my chance to haul him to his feet and drag him across the floor, into the hall.

Percy seemed to have snapped out of his trance, but he wasn't struggling. Not even when I pushed him into the janitors closet with me and shut the door behind us. Cliché I know, but it was either here or the nearest girl's bathroom.

I grabbed two plastic crates and flipped them over to make makeshift chairs. I sat on one of them and glowered at Percy.

"Sit." I said plainly.

He sat in the crate across from me. I waited.

"You're going to tell me what's going on, and you are going to do it now." I said, when Percy didn't speak. "We've never kept secrets from each other and I don't want to start any time soon, if ever."

Percy's eyes roamed the small and cramped room. His jaw was clenched, and something in his face told me that he would rather be anywhere else in the world right now. I was starting to be a lot more worried than angry.

"Percy, you know you can tell me anything." I said this as a statement; there was no doubt about it.

The only response I received on Percy's part was silence. I reached out and touched his shoulder, and only now realized that he was shaking slightly.

"Percy….." I said in a hushed voice. I trailed off because there seemed to be nothing else I could say.

This time I finally got a response. Percy looked up at me with strangely sad eyes and shook his head.

"Please, just tell me what's wrong. I _know_ I can help." I could hear the desperation in my own voice.

Percy sighed. "It's nothing. Problems at home, not something to freak out about."

"Really? Because you were sure freaking out about it yesterday."

Percy looked back down again, this time in shame. I instantly felt guilty because I hadn't meant to sound so accusing.

"Look, Percy, I won't get mad about what happened yesterday. I just want you to tell me what I want to know." I raised an eyebrow in a slightly teasing manner. "You more than anyone understands that I hate not knowing things."

The ghost of a smile crossed Percy's face. "What do you want to know?"

I crossed my arms. "Do I _really_ have to repeat myself?"

I sheepish expression crossed Percy's face. "I guess not." He met my eyes. " Look, Gabe is being a jerk again, even more than usual, and that's saying something. I took it out on you when I shouldn't have and I feel terrible for doing it because I don't want to stoop to his level. I am _so_ sorry Annabeth." His eyes were pleading as he said his next sentence. "Can we just put this behind us? Please?"

I studied his expression. I knew he was hiding something from me, and by the way he was trying desperately to steer away from the subject, I could tell that it was something imperative to our friendship, but for now I shrugged off my suspicions. I had a horrible feeling that I would find out what Percy was holding back soon enough, and that the outcome wasn't going to be good.

"Fine, but you owe me something." I said.

Percy visibly relaxed. He raised an eyebrow, offering me a wry smile. "And what do I owe my dear Annabeth?"

I got up. "Something. Surprise me."

I opened the door and motioned for Percy to follow me into the empty hallway. We both knew that we were already late to our second period.

"I thought you hated surprises?" Percy had a bewildered look on his face.

"I do." I said. I turned to face him before we went our separate ways. "But I like yours."

I walked away before I could see his reaction.

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"Come on Annabeth! Tell us what your topic is already!" Thalia was trying not to yell, but she was failing.

Percy, Tyson, Thalia, Nico, and I were sprawled in our usual spot under an oak tree in the park in front of the school. Percy had arrived later than everyone else because he had picked up Tyson, and now he lay down off to the side.

"Why do I have to go first?" I asked indignantly.

"Because you always share things last, and its only fair if you go first this time." Replied Thalia in a slightly smug tone.

I let out a big breath and unzipped my backpack. Our middle school was given a writing prompt during English class today that was due at the end of the semester. Since I was late to my English class today, I wasn't aloud to choose the topic and ended up getting the one that nobody wanted.

After less than a minute of searching, I found the slip of paper that contained my chosen topic, and took it out. "Here it is."

"Don't you have it memorized?" Asked Nico. Everyone knows that I have a great memory.

"I haven't read it yet." I said slightly embarrassed. "I was afraid of what I would get."

"Well you've got to read it sooner or later!" Thalia was getting very impatient. "Might as well do it now before I take out my eagerness by punching Nico!"

Nico sent me a pleading look, so I did what Thalia said to do (more like demanded) and read the slip of paper out loud. "My topic is; _**the difference between love and destruction**_."

Everyone paused whatever they were doing for a moment.

"No wonder that topic was a reject." Percy sat up. "It's bitter."

"Like milk gone bad." Agreed Tyson, nodding his head with vigor.

"Well," I said, still staring at the paper, "the point of this writing assignment _is_ to challenge ourselves to think outside the box."

"Oh, please Annabeth." Thalia scoffed. "You always think outside the box. This assignment shouldn't be any different than any other you've ever done."

"This time it is." I put away the slip of paper, and turned to Thalia. "Your turn to share your topic."

"My essay will be on," Thalia paused for effect. ", How_** words can compare to a natural disaster**_."

"Let me guess," said Nico while rolling his eyes, "You're going to use lightning as your natural disaster."

"You know me so well!" Thalia replied, smiling widely.

"Okay guys, my turn." Percy took out his slip with a flourish.

"Oh no." Nico said dramatically. "I can only guess what that boy chose."

"For once, I agree with Nico." Said Thalia. "Percy probably chose something like; _the woes of having a raisin sized brain_ or _the daily life of a sushi-tarian_."

Everyone started cracking up, but Percy.

"Wow, that was so funny I forgot to laugh." Said Percy sarcastically. "Anyways, fish have feelings too. They don't like to be eaten."

"Then why do you eat meat?" I asked. "Cows have feelings too."

"Yeah, but cows are stupid." Said Percy. "Now, do you want me to tell you my topic or not?"

"Fine. Go ahead." Said Thalia, after she had gotten herself back together.

Percy narrowed his eyes at his paper. All of us had Dyslexia, but Percy had it the worst. "Its-_**the difference between a stupid decision and one that is seemingly stupid**_."

Thalia burst out laughing again.

"What's so funny?" Percy seemed genuinely insulted.

"I just think that-hahaha-" Thalia was clutching her stomach."-it's going to be-hard for-hahaha-you to be able to tell the difference!"

"What do you mean by that?" Percy replied.

Thalia tried her best to calm down. "Psh-what I mean is, that its probably going to be a challenge for you to write about the difference between a stupid decision and a seemingly stupid decision when you can't even tell the difference yourself!" Thalia let out some stray laughter. "I mean, come on Percy! You're a few fries short from the happy meal, to say the least!"

Percy looked down. "Maybe I'm smarter than I let on."

"Yeah, ok. Whatever helps you sleep at night." Thalia didn't seem to notice the look of poorly hidden hurt on Percy's face.

Nico decided to break in. "Alright! My turn!"

"You know what? I need to leave before Gabe notices I'm not home." Percy was already getting up.

"Percy!"

He ignored me and shook Tyson awake. "Come on-we're leaving."

Tyson grumbled, but got up anyway.

"Wait-"

"Annabeth just let him go if he wants to. He probably has a bunch of secretly-genius stuff he needs to do anyway." Thalia said mockingly.

I glared daggers at her. For one, always being interrupted, and two for not noticing that she had crossed the line between teasing and being a complete jerk.

"Bye Percy." Nico said.

"Mhm, bye smart stuff!" Thalia did not know when to stop.

Percy didn't reply, and instead opted for fast-walking away. I smacked Thalia on the shoulder. "That was completely uncalled for."

"What? I was just joking around!" Thalia defended.

"That was _way_ past joking around!"

"Guys…." Nico didn't seem took keen on interrupting us. That would be stepping into the war zone.

"You're just too sensitive." Thalia retorted.

"_You're_ just too insensitive!" I could feel my face getting red. "You called him stupid!"

"Indirectly!"

"You said that he was incapable of being able to tell the difference between hidden intelligence and outright stupidity! "

"Again, indirectly!"

"You are impossible."

"Annebeth-"

"Nico, tell us your topic." I demanded. "I don't want to hear what Thalia has to say."

"Erm…" He looked from me to Thalia and then cleared his throat. "I got-um-_**The stage of adolescence in which a child expresses themselves with a certain object**_."

"That certain object is your stack of mythomagic card, isn't it?" Thalia said, in an; _I should be used to this by now_, tone.

Nico smiled proudly, although the tension between Thalia and I was still fairly obvious.

"Great, just another way for you to express your geeky self." Thalia stood up. "I'm leaving too. Let's go Nico, your sister's my ride."

I didn't say bye to either of them as they walked away.

_Words can compare to a natural disaster;_

_Yeah, ok. Leave it to Thalia to go all literal._

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**Thats the end of the chapter! I tried to make it longer, so please tell me if you like the old or new length better. **

**Review, favorite, follow, or none?**

**Either way, I'll still love all you people reading this story!**


	5. Sibling Love

**I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN GIVING ME REALLY GREAT FEEDBACK THROUGHOUT THE STORY. IT REALLY MAKES MY DAY WHEN I RECIEVE EMAILS CONTAINING NICE THINGS ABOUT THIS STORY.**

**I FORGOT TO INCLUDE A DISCLAIMER IN THE LAST CHAPTER. OOPS?**

**DISCLAIMER: NOTHING BELONGS TO ME, BUT THE PLOT. EVERYTHING ELSE BELONGS TO THE AWESOME MR. RIORDAN AND ETC..**

_**"Running in circles**_

_**A mouse on the table**_

_**I try to feel, I just don't**_

_**Hurtin' and dead inside**_

_**Go on and cut 'em in half**_

_**Said I"**_

**-BROKEN BELLS: SAILING TO NOWHERE**

NICO'S POV-

Thalia was unnaturally quiet throughout the whole ride home. Bianca tried making small talk with her a few times, but gave up because she figured that Thalia needed her space right now.

When we arrived at Thalia's house Bianca told me to wait in the car while she walked Thalia to the door. My first instinct was to argue, but when I saw the look on Bianca's face I bit my tongue and nodded.

I looked out the window as Bianca led Thalia to her porch. Like mine, Thalia's house fit more into the category of mansion. What with its Greek style architectural design and 5 story physique, you'd expect at least one-hundred people to live there, when in reality only three and a few of the live in maids occupied the rooms.

I lowered the window and leaned out the opening to get a better view of Thalia and Bianca.

_Oh how I wish I had a pair of binoculars right now._

I squinted my eyes and noticed that Bianca was saying something to Thalia. My cousin stood there nodding and hosting a solemn look on her face. I leaned out the window a bit more. I'm not a very bright child.

After a few minutes, Thalia looked up at Bianca and smiled. Bianca enveloped her in a hug and they laughed when they separated. Gag.

I scrunched up my face in disgust at their heartfelt moment, and was about to go back inside the car when I realized that my foot somehow got entangled with the seatbelt. I tried yanking free, but it's a bit hard to when half of my body is sticking out of a car window.

Bianca turned around whenThalia was safely in her house, just in time to see me topple out of the car and onto the pavement.

I wrapped my arms around my head to soften the landing a bit more, but still ended up landing on my face.

"Nico!" Bianca ran toward my crumpled form. "Are you okay?"

"No!" I lifted my butt in the air and wrapped my arms even tighter around my head. "I think I broke my face!"

I felt Bianca sit down next to me. She rolled me over and I closed my eyes as she tilted my face and started examining me.

"Your cheek is starting to bruise up and you've got a few scratches, but other than that you're okay." She furrowed her eyebrow. "Never mind. Your nose is starting to bleed."

I opened my eyes only to see that Bianca was crossing her arms. I didn't know that it was possible to look stern and worried at the same time, but she somehow pulled it off. Bianca may be only four years older than me, but she can look as intimidating as our mom when she tries.

"Why were you hanging out the side of the car in the first place?" I was about to answer when she cut me off. "You were trying to spy on me and Thalia, weren't you?"

"Psh-me spying?" I said in an affronted tone. "Of course not! I was just trying to…cloud watch?"

Bianca gave me an, _are you kidding me_, look.

"Okay. I was spying." I said sheepishly.

Bianca sighed and helped me up. "Sometimes I fear for your future." She said. "But that's why I'm your sister right? To help you along the way?"

I grinned. "Of course. Without you, I'd be streaking down central park this very moment."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX LINE BREAK XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX**

PERCY'S POV-

I wasn't joking when I told my friends that I had to go. Yeah, I was a bit insulted by Thalia's comments, but that wasn't what got me running. It was Gabe.

My mom was working until nine P.M. today and Gabe always expected me take care of all the cooking, cleaning, and pretty much everything else that had to do with setting up his stupid poker party.

Gabe was usually home around four. Right now it was three-twenty, which meant that I had less than an hour to do all my Gabe-given chores.

I threw open the door and stormed into the kitchen. I heard Tyson close the door behind me as I took out the ingredients for some seven-layer dip. Yes, I do know how to cook.

"I don't get it." Said Tyson.

I shrugged off my backpack and left it lying at my feet. "Don't get what?"

"Why you do all this for Gabe" Tyson grabbed an apple. "He's so mean to you. Why would you ever want to be nice to him?"

I swallowed my dignity and told my eight year-old brother the biggest lie I have ever told so far in my life. "I want to be nice to Gabe because he's our step-father," my knuckles turned white on the kitchen knife," and he works hard to keep our family together."

I felt something solid hit the back of my head. "Ow!" I turned around and saw Tyson staring at me as if I had just told him that I had a secret love for One Direction. "Why'd you throw an apple at me?!"

"Because I wanted to make sure that your brain still worked." Tyson shrugged. "Apparently it does."

I face palmed and grabbed a rag from the rack near the sink. "I'm going to make you a bargain, got it?"

Tyson nodded.

"If you help me clean the house, I'll tell you the real reason I'm doing this for Gabe. Okay?"

Tyson held out his smallest finger. "Pinky promise?"

I wrapped my said finger around Tyson's. "I swear on the river Styx."

Tyson and I were both born mythology geeks, and swearing on the river Styx had become the most binding form of a promise we had.

Tyson gave me a toothy grin, and ran off to do his brother a favor as if it was the most important thing in the world.

I started warming up the beans for some dip, and ran over to the dining table with the poker game materials. I set up the table with the speed of a ninja on a sugar high, glancing at the clock when I was done. It was only four thirty-six.

I wasn't worried about whether Tyson would finish the chores on time. His cleaning skills were disturbingly amazing, and I had learned long ago not to doubt him.

It was three fifty-six by the time both Tyson and I were finished meeting our overweight stepfather's commands. I looked around with some pride at what we had done.

All the rooms looked spotless (thanks to Tyson) and the temporary poker table was set up perfectly (thanks to yours truly). The center of the table was adorned with a seven-layer dip, chips, sausage finger snacks, and some rocky road ice cream. I made sure not to make anything too healthy due to Gabe's certain fruit and vegetable restriction.

Fine by me. Gabe could stick his health up his a-my thoughts were interrupted when the smelly walrus himself walked in, followed by his motley crew.

He pushed me out of the way in order to get into the kitchen. I guess the idiot has never heard of the phrase "excuse me", much less the word "deodorant".

It was always like this for me. Nobody respected me or cared about what I had to say, not that I blamed them, but it gets to a point where you just wish that people would understand that you're not all about jokes and small talk.

A few minutes of Gabe's eating passed, until he finally took some time to glance at Tyson and I standing in the kitchen doorway. "You outdid yourself today brain boy." Brain boy? That's the best he can come up with? "But-" Oh no-" you're still busted for getting me into trouble with your mom this morning." Gabe got up, causing his stupid poker buddies to make way.

"Go to your room and lock the door." I told Tyson.

He looked absolutely terrified when he saw Gabe trudging towards us with a look of malice on his face, yet he still managed to give me a blunt "no" as his answer.

I grabbed him by his shoulders. "Please do it." Gabe was getting closer. "Don't open the door until I ask you to. Other than that, no matter what don't open it!" my voice was rising in volume in fear of my brother's safety. "Go! I'm begging you to please just go!"

Tears were forming in Tyson's eyes. He sensed the urgency in my voice though, and nodded his head just as Gabe grabbed my shoulders. Tyson sprinted down the hall.

"Go get the kid!" Gabe roared. "He needs to see what'll happen to him if he decides to ever disobey me."

I heard the sound of three pairs of footsteps running past me, but didn't really see anything due to the fact that my face was currently having some forced contact with the floor.

"It's locked!" Yelled the rough voice of Eddie, the least evil of all of them, which wasn't saying much.

I was yanked off the floor. "Tell him to open the door and you'll go through a lot less pain." Gabe's breath smelled worse than a skunk's fart.

"No" I managed to say.

I was smashed against the wall with so much force; I could feel my teeth rattle. I felt two hands slowly, but surely, getting tighter around my neck.

"I said to get your brother to open the door." He growled.

"And I-" It was getting harder for me to talk-" said no."

"Alright then, suffer more it is." Gabe gave a whistle and his minion's came rushing like a pack of trained puppies.

Eddie grabbed my arms and the man I recognized as Jack grabbed the other. I squirmed, but their grip just became tighter. "I'll give you thirty seconds to decide if your brother is worth the pain."

"One." Started the plumber, Ian.

I was kicked in the stomach. Hard.

"Five seconds right there." Sneered Eddie.

Gabe threw various punches at my face.

"I'd say that's fifteen seconds right there." Said Jack.

My arm was twisted behind my back. Not enough to pop it out of its socket, but close. I gritted my teeth.

"Twenty three seconds." I couldn't tell who said this.

I yelped when my arm was jerked back. "Twenty seven seconds."

"Stop!" I gasped.

Gabe smiled in that despicable way of his.

"I've decided that-" I paused and Gabe grinned triumphantly-"you're an asshole."

Immediately I was jumped by said asshole. "Why you little punk! You think you're so smart, but you're just worthless scum that deserves to be thrown in the gutter!"

I was being punched and kicked by various so-called men, yet I didn't feel brought down. I felt like I had won the biggest award in the world because Tyson was safe, and that was all that mattered.

The only thing that seriously worried me was the fact that I was being punched in the face. Gabe has never wanted my mom to find out about his beatings, so he has always avoided leaving any noticeable marks. He must've been gaining confidence or at least thought up an explanation for my injuries. If so, then I was in major trouble.

Minutes that felt like hours went by, until finally I felt the blows start to recede. With a sense of finality, Gabe spit in my face and walked off with his poker pals, chatting and enjoying himself as if he hadn't just beaten up a twelve year-old kid in his own home.

I could hardly move and breathing was an accomplishment on its own, but I still made an attempt to get up. I couldn't allow my mom to see me like this, much less find out that the one who caused it all was Gabe.

_I'll go through this every second of the day as long as he leaves my friends and family alone. I would do anything to keep those I love out of danger. Anything._

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx**

**BE WARNED: PERCY'S LOYALTY SHALL BE PUT TO THE TEST. DUN DUN DUN!**

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**FAVORITES MAKE ME SMILE!**

**FOLLOWS ARE AMAZING!**

**AND KNOWING THAT PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY READING THIS STORY MAKES ME HAPPY!**


	6. Hazelnut! Yum!

**JUST TO LET YOU GUYS KNOW, I HAVE DECIDED THAT I'LL REPLY TO MEMBER REVIEWS USING P.M. AND GUEST REVIEWS AT THE END OF EACH CHAPTER. PLEASE GIVE YOURSELVES A NAME IF YOU ARE GUESTS THOUGH, IT'LL BE EASIER TO REPLY! THIS CHAPTER IS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT FROM OTHERS SO HERE YOU GO!**

**DISCLAIMER-ALL THE CHARACTERS BELONG TO RICK RIORDAN AND HIS PUBLISHER BUDDIES. IF YOU SAY OTHERWISE I SHALL VIRTUAL SLAP YOU. THIS IS NOT MY PROPERTY!**

_**"Never take candy from strangers. It's dangerous."**_

_**-Our world's mom's.**_

**PERCY'S POV-**

"Tyson open up."

I heard a shuffling noise behind the door, and knowing that Tyson was coming, I pulled my hood up even higher in an attempt to hide my bruised up face.

The door swung open a crack and Tyson peeked outside. "Why's your face all covered up? You're not _that_ unattractive."

"Very funny." I rolled my eyes under my hood. "Just let me in."

Tyson stepped aside and shut the door when I went through. I laid myself facedown on the bed and groaned. The adrenaline or whatever was making my pain bearable must've worn off because only now did I really feel the full impact of Gabe's punches.

Tyson jabbed me on the side of the stomach and I flinched. "You don't want mom to find out about this do you?"

I shook my head.

"Why not?" Tyson's voice sounded shaky. "Does this have to do with that promise you made me? About telling me the reason you're nice to Gabe?"

"Yeah." My voice cracked slightly, and I groaned again. This wasn't the right time for puberty to come knocking.

"Tell me the reason. You made a promise, might as well keep it now."

I rolled over onto my back and blocked Tyson's view of my face. "He made me swear I wouldn't tell."

"Who did? Gabe?" I felt Tyson sit beside me on the bed.

I nodded. "Four years ago, I found out that Gabe was beating mom. You were almost five and I was eight, like you are now." The images from that day went through my head. "She was trying to hide it, but I saw her flinch every time he got near her. I would hear mom crying through the bedroom door, and I wouldn't be able to do anything."

I sneaked a peek at Tyson and saw that he was staring off into space with pursed lips. I sighed and continued. "I went up in Gabe's face about it when you and mom were grocery shopping one day. He laughed at me when I tried threatening him, but finally agreed to take me as his secret slave. I'd do everything he asked without question and he would be able to beat me if I didn't obey everything he said to do."

"So this has been going on for almost four years?" Tyson's voice was strangely hushed.

"Yeah, and it'll stay like that for six more. I'll have to decide what to do by then."

"No it won't."

I instantly tensed. "What do you mean 'no it won't'?"

"I mean, were going to tell mom-"

"No were not-"

"She's going to leave Gabe-"

"She says she can't-"

"And everything's going to be okay."

"Nothing's going to be okay!" I sat up so fast; Tyson almost fell off the bed. "We can't tell her! We can't tell anyone! Don't you know what'll happen if we do!?"

"We'll all be happy!" Tyson was getting angry.

"No we won't! We'll all end up like this!" I yanked off my hood and showed Tyson what Gabe and his idiot friends had done. Based on the way Tyson's face paled, I knew I must've looked worse than I thought. "It hurts me more to see you guys unhappy than to be hurt physically or verbally."

A few minutes of Tyson's gaping passed until he finally decided to talk. "How will you hide that from mom?"

I smiled knowing that Tyson had agreed not to tell. "We'll do what girls do when they have pimples." I got up and grabbed a box from my drawer. I turned around and opened it for Tyson to see.

"Make-up?" He said.

I nodded.

**XXXXXXXXXX LINE BREAK XXXXXXXXXXX**

"Good morning!" I wrapped an arm around my mom's shoulder. "Who's the most amazing women in the whole wide world?"

My mom laughed. "What's got you in such a good mood?"

I went over to the table and ruffled Tyson's hair. "Nothing, I just feel great this morning! I feel like I might as well enjoy my mood right now before something bad happens to spoil it later. What's for breakfast?"

"Oatmeal with fruit on the side." My mom grabbed another banana and started chopping. "Why do you think something bad will happen?"

"Because, mother dearest, I have a saying."

"And what is this saying, oh wise son of mine?" My mom replied, in a matching tone.

I cleared my throat. "If you have a terrible morning, you will probably have a terrible day. If you have a great morning, you will most definitely have a terrible day."

"That doesn't sound cheerful." Said Tyson.

My mom set two bowls of oatmeal in front of Tyson and I. "No it does not."

"Don't question it." I replied.

"I won't." My mom stated. "Just finish your meal before Gabe wakes up. I don't want him bothering you."

At the mention of Gabe, Tyson stiffened.

"Is something wrong honey?" Mom had noticed Tyson's reaction.

I kicked him under the table, and he relaxed. "Nothing. I don't like Gabe, is all."

My mom gave Tyson a sad smile. "Someday it'll get better."

"I know." Tyson replied in a hushed voice, before starting to eat.

When we were both finished, mom gave us each a kiss goodbye on our foreheads. We left with enough time to walk, but still heard the sound of Gabe waking up and bossing our mom around before we shut the door.

"_Someday it'll get better",_ she had said, but I don't believe it.

**XXXXXXXX LINE BREAK XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**GROVER'S POV-**

"_That's _the boss's son?"

"Yes Grover." The person speaking on the other end of the earpiece sounded exasperated. "We've been over this."

"But can you really see him from where you are?" I tried to get a better view of the black-haired boy from behind his hiding place in the bushes. "Maybe you mistook him for someone else."

"I have a closer view of him than you do, and just _look _at him! It's so obvious that he's the one!"

I took a moment to better analyze the boy known as "Percy" who was dropping off a light-brown haired child at an elementary school with a huge grin on his face.

Now that I actually took a good look at him, I could see the similarities between him and the boss. This boy had the same eyes, smile, and even the same way of carrying himself as Po-_him_.

"_Now_ do you see it?!"

"Yes Juniper, he's a spitting image." I replied.

"Why don't you just call the kid by his name?"

I adjusted my way of crouching and frowned. "It feels wrong to call him by his name with no problem when he's about to be used by everyone around him. I feel like I should at least give him the right to introduce himself."

"Oh Grover, you're such a sweetie! He's not-" Juniper fell abruptly silent. "-Staying still!"

"What?" I glanced at the spot the boy had been a few minutes ago and saw that he was almost a block away.

I cursed.

"Watch your language and go after him!"

I was already on it, darting from cover to cover. In a matter of seconds I was exactly two yards behind Percy. I jumped out of the shadows and tried to act casual.

I was wearing some cargo shorts and a green "recycle today" shirt with a black messenger pack hanging across my shoulder. The usual eco-friendly style.

"I caught up to him. Bye Juni." I whispered, before I clicked off.

I took a deep breath before jogging up to the boy in front of me. "Hey, wait up!"

**XXXXXXXXXX LINE BREAK XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**PERCY'S POV-**

I turned around at the sound of someone calling me and saw a nerdy looking boy running towards me. I stood there, waiting, until he was right in front of me.

"Hi!" The poor chump was out of breath. "Nice weather we're having don't you think?"

I looked up and saw grey cloudy skies as proof that the weather was soon going to get rough. I glanced back at the red-faced boy.

"I don't….think so…" I replied.

"Ah, everybody thinks grey skies means bad weather, but it's mother-nature you know? It's never bad!"

"Uh-huh." I was curious as to what this person's point was.

"Oh, I'm Grover." The recently nameless boy stuck out his hand, and I shook it. "I must be freaking you out a bit, right?"

"A little, but I shouldn't judge since, after all, I _am_ the town freak." I smiled. "My name's Percy."

"Cool." Grover nodded absently. "Er-this might seem odd, but can I ask you for a favor?"

"As long as it doesn't involve anything that'll get me killed, sure." I responded.

"Hopefully not."

"What?"

"I'm joking!" Grover chuckled nervously. "I just wanted to ask if you could sample some organic hazelnut chocolate?"

"Organic-"

"Chocolate, yah." Grover took out a rectangle shaped object wrapped in aluminum. "I'm trying to convince my school to sell hazelnut chocolate instead of whatever junk it is they're selling. I made it myself and I'm trying to get people to sign a petition if they think it's good. Hopefully I'll get enough signatures." Grover stuck out the aluminum chocolate bar. "So, um, can you?"

I gave the organic treat a suspicious look, and then looked up at Grover's pleading face. "Sure."

I grabbed the chocolate bar and unwrapped it.

"Tell me how it tastes." Grover requested.

I nodded and took a bite. The commonly known childhood phrase, _don't take candy from strangers_, popped into my head, but I ignored it and swallowed. Grover didn't look much like a kidnapper. My eyes widened. "It tastes pretty good!"

"Yeah? Should I add anything else?" Grover questioned.

I took another bite. "No! It tastes really great how it is now! Do you mind if I finish it? This thing is amazing!"

"No you can have it all."

Grover started looking around nervously, but I didn't mind it too much. I couldn't stop eating the chocolate, even though I felt like I should. It probably would've been best if I had.

Grover tapped something on his ear and started to act as if he was speaking to someone. I looked around and saw no one else around, but I couldn't be sure that we were totally alone. I felt strangely uncoordinated.

"Whooo are youuu talkin' tooo?" Even to me, my voice sounded slurred.

"No one. Finish the hazelnut." Replied Grover urgently.

I made an attempt to raise the candy bar up to my mouth, but I dropped it due to my arms feeling like lead. I rubbed my eyes vigorously and tried to focus on something. Anything.

Instead of feeling better, my vision started to blur and I would've fallen flat on my face, had not something caught me before I fell. I groaned.

"_He can hardly stand June. I need some help." _That was Grover's voice, somewhere in the distance. Why did he sound as if we were in a tunnel?

"_I know you're in charge of taking care of the Tyson kid, but-" _I jabbed my elbow into what I was sure had to be Grover's stomach. "_Ow!_"

I felt Grover let his grip on me go, and I fell on my back.

"_Come on, Percy! You have to get up!" _Calloused hands tried to pull me lift me off the ground, but I struggled, even as the world around me spun.

"_Don't be like this!" _

"_Leave….Tysonnn alonnee!"_ I felt myself drifting off, but managed to kick Grover in what I hoped was his family jewels with the last ounce of strength I had, before feeling a sharp pain in my shoulder.

"_Sorry man, I need you to cooperate. Whether you mean to or not." _

By now, I was sure that the pain in my shoulder was a needlepoint injecting a knockout drug into my system. No matter what I tried, I could no longer stay awake. Giving in to the sleep, I closed my eyes and let go.

"_Sorry." Whispered a silent voice. "I'm so, so sorry."_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX END OF CHAPTER XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**SO THAT WAS THE END OF THE CHAPTER! WHEN I WROTE THIS I KIND OF IMAGINED GROVER AS SOME CREEPY PEDO IN A TRENCH COAT GIVING PERCY SOME CANDY. PLEASE EXCUSE MY HYPERACTIVE IMAGINATION.**

**_REVIEW REPLIES_-**

**CODEX: SOMETHING BAD JUST DID :P**

**GUEST: 1. THEY ARE HUMANS IN THIS STORY. MAYBE. I MIGHT ADD A LITTLE TWIST THAT I HAVE IN MIND. 2. PERCY, ANNABETH, THALIA, AND NICO ARE ALL 12. BIANCA IS 16. TYSON IS 8. ALL OTHER AGES SHALL BE MENTIONED LATER ON. 3.) I JUST WENT ON RANDOM WEBSITES LIKE WIKIHOW AND STUFF FOR STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS.**

**GUEST: I'LL KEEP ON WRITING :D**


	7. The Olympian Party

**I FINISHED THIS CHAPTER YESTERDAY, BUT DUE TO LACK OF INTERNET I WAS ONLY ABLE TO POST IT UNTIL TODAY. SORRY ABOUT THAT! ALSO, I HOPE THE ENDING OF THE CHAPTER DOESN'T ANNOY YOU TOO MUCH. **

**DISCLAIMER-ALL RIGHTS GO TO RICK RIORDAN. EXCEPT FOR THE PLOT. **

_**"Can't take the kid from the fight,**_

_** take the fight from the kidSit back relax, **_

**_sit back relapse again_."**

**-Panic! AT The Disco...Camisado**

**PERCY'S POV-**

"Why didn't you let us tie him up?"

Everything was dark. I felt as stiff as a statue and my tongue was dry like sandpaper. From what I could tell, I was seated slumped on a leather chair in an air-conditioned room full of people.

A deep female voice spoke. "Because he'd be extremely stupid to attempt an escape. If he even tries, we'll pummel him to a pulp"

I heard the crack of knuckles and I repressed a shiver. This chick was scary.

"Don't be so hard on him, Clarisse." Scolded a girl's gentle utter. "He's never done anything wrong."

"Never done anything wrong? Hah!" Scoffed Clarisse. "Except being born!"

I clenched my jaw in hurt.

"It isn't his fault where he came from." Snapped a formal male voice. "Nor was it ours how we were raised."

"Can you please cut it with your fancy talk?" Whined someone across the room. "No one will take you seriously if you keep speaking like that."

"How does my way of speaking bother you? Are you that much of an idiot that you don't understand, but the simplest words?"

"It's your tone!"

"Oh, it's my tone? How can I arrange it to your needs, my intellectually challenged work mate?"

"Sarcasm does not work with you."

"You are such an-"

"Shhh! I think he's awake." Interrupted Grover.

The room fell silent and I could practically feel all heads turn to me. I clutched the leather armrests of my seat and concentrated on trying to open my tired eyes. When I finally managed it, I took in my surroundings.

The walls were a whitewashed color and the floor was concrete. In front of me was a long mahogany table surrounded by chairs occupied with exactly ten different kids around my age.

"Why hello there sleeping beauty!" The boy who said this grinned maniacally. "We've been waiting."

I sat up in my seat and glared at every person in the room.

"He doesn't seem too happy to see us." Great. The kid has a shorter twin.

"Of course he's not happy to see us!" Responded a pretty girl with elfish features. "We kidnapped him!"

Across from me, Grover spoke. "Are you feeling okay?" He seemed to be genuinely worried. "You're not feeling any side effects from the chocolate?"

Now that I thought about it, I was feeling very warm despite the cold room temperature. "I'm about as good as a person who's just been drugged and kidnapped can be." Something urgent popped into my head. "Where's Tyson? What did you do to him?"

Grover gave me a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"Before I passed out, I heard you mention Tyson's name to someone on the phone." My voice was eerily threatening. "Don't you dare try to deny it because I know what I heard and I want you to tell me right now what you did to my brother."

"This Percy kid is even as bossy as him." Remarked a person I guessed was Clarisse.

I ignored my curiosity towards whom "him" was and how these people happened to know my name, instead focusing on giving Grover the fiercest look I have ever given anyone.

He cringed. "I'm not in the position to tell you anything, but Chiron will be here in a few minutes and you can ask him." Grover looked me straight in the eye with a look of complete and total honesty. "I will promise you one thing; whatever we did to Tyson was to keep him and your family safe."

I believed him, but didn't let it show. "Safe from what?"

Grover opened his mouth to answer, but a handsome blonde-haired boy with a long evil-looking scar running down his face, cut him off. " He isn't aloud to tell you that until we find out how much you know about a certain-" Scar-boy smiled mysteriously-"army."

I was confused for about a mil-a-second until it dawned on me. He was talking about Kronos's army.

"Now he gets it." His smile grew even wider.

"I don't _get_ anything." I growled.

"Let's inform you then." Grover replied. "Starting with introductions. You know my name is Grover." Said person nodded towards scar-face. "That over there is Luke."

Luke waived unenthusiastically.

Grover pointed at each person he mentioned.

"That's Juniper."

"Hi!" Juniper's light-green eyes sparkled and her ginger hair bounced along with her personality. Grover sent her a dreamy look, which caused me to smirk.

"She's Clarisse."

Clarisse crossed her muscular arms and blew her mouse-brown hair away from her equally colored eyes. "I'll hurt you."

"As you can tell, she's a very friendly person."

"Shut it." Clarisse scowled.

Grover raised his hands in surrender and went on with his introductions. "Over there is Charles, but her prefers to be called Beck or Beckendorf."

"Hey." Beckendorf waived a wrench in my direction.

"She's Selena."

Selena happened to be a very beautiful girl with jet-black hair and baby blue eyes. She smiled and sent me wink that caused my face to turn to an unmanly shade of pink. Beckendorf frowned.

"Sitting over there is Katie."

"Nice to meet you." Katie said. Her light-brown hair was braided to the side with flowers. I said hi back.

"Those two twins sitting near you are a package deal. The taller one is Travis and the one trying to steal your wallet is Connor."

"Hey! No one likes a snitch!"

I turned and smacked Connor's hand away from my shirt pocket.

Grover gestured towards a boy with curly blonde hair and stormy grey eyes that reminded me of Annabeth's. "He's Malcolm. One of the few of us with an actual brain."

"Your compliments fill me with pride, Grover." Malcolm extended his hand toward me and I shook it. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Travis rolled his eyes.

"There are more of us, but before you get to know anymore-"

"I'll have to meet Chiron, whoever that is." I answered.

Grover nodded just as the metal door on the other side of the room slid open. "And here he is now."

A man in a motorized wheelchair came into the room bearing the scent of coffee. He had eyes that looked as if they've seen everything and an aura of knowledge surrounding him that not even Malcolm held. Everyone in the room, besides me, bowed their heads in respect.

The man acknowledged the bows with one of his own and turned to me with an unreadable look on his face. "Hello Percy. I've read a lot about you."

I ignored Chiron's greeting. "Where's Tyson?"

A few of the people in the room face palmed.

Chiron didn't seem to be the slightest bit surprised by my question. "I will tell you that in private." He turned to Grover with a look of pity on his face. "Dionysus wants to see you. He wasn't happy with your work."

"I'll go straight away." Grover squeezed my shoulder and walked out of the room shaking. Whatever he was called to must've been something he wasn't looking forward to confronting.

Chiron gestured towards everyone else. "Go back to your duties. You'll be rewarded later for your progress." He waited for them to walk out of the room, and wheeled towards me. "You want to know about your brother?"

I nodded.

"You'll have to get comfortable then. This story involves a lot of explaining."

I sat up, feeling slightly nauseous due to my increasing temperature.

"For the past month, you and your family have been being watched." Chiron started. "A certain group known as Kronus's army has been on your case lately for reasons unknown to all of us. Do you know of any of this?"

I gulped. I haven't thought of the army since that day I was jumped. "They've been following me and threatening the life of everyone I care about for the past two months. It started out small at first, but started gaining momentum."

"What has?"

I looked down at my fidgeting hands. "Their threats. The first time, I received a note saying that they were coming for me, but I shrugged it off because it seemed like a prank at the time."

"How did you figure out it wasn't?" Chiron leaned forward.

"One day, I was walking to meet some friends at a concert and five men surrounded me in an alley. I tried to fight back even though I knew it was useless, and I was right because I ended up being punched and kicked."

_**FLASHBACK**_

_Ethan Nakumara sneered and slammed his foot into my stomach once more. "You think you can fight us don't you?"_

_SLAM!_

"_You thought that all this was a joke?"_

_Someone pulled my head back with a jerk of my hair and raised me to my feet._

"_It's a good thing we gave you a reality check then, right?" _

_Ethan took out a pocket knife and raised it in the air only to-_

"_PERCY!"_

_**END OF FLASHBACK**_

I looked up at the sound of my name.

Chiron frowned. "Was that the last time you saw them?"

I shook my head. "No. A while ago, the same men surrounded me on my way to school saying that I had a week to decide whether or not to join them. I haven't heard of it ever since." I looked up from my shaking hands. "It's your turn to explain."

"You already did." Chiron leaned back.

"What do you mean?"

"The reason we've been following you for so long is because of our now confirmed suspicions that you were being stalked by Kronos's army. You see Percy, your father is an Olympian and that is a very dangerous thing. "

"What is an Olympian?" I was pretty sure I wasn't related to any athlete.

Chiron smiled and gestured towards the door. "If you will follow me?"

**LINEBREAKLINEBREAKLINEBREAKLINEBREAKLINEBREAK**

"Can I take off the blind-fold now?" I grumbled.

Chiron had made me wear a blind-fold so as not to see where we were going, although I was pretty sure that even without it I wouldn't remember. By now, we must've been through at least eighty doors. I was starting to feel worse and I wasn't sure that I could stand much longer.

"Step through here and I'll tell you when to remove it."

I was led through yet another doorway and put to stand on hard floor.

"You may remove your blind-fold now."

I did as asked and looked around to see that I was standing in a very large and very weird room. Both the walls and floor were made of reflecting glass. Not really like a mirror, but most definitely not normal glass. There was no furniture.

"What is this?" I was taking everything in with awe.

Chiron spread his arms wide. "This is the room we use for presentations. It helps make everything simpler for those who don't know our business."

"What do you mean by _presentation?" _

"You'll see." Chiron pressed a button on his armrest and a chrome-colored chair sank up through the floor in the middle of the room. "Sit please."

I obeyed.

"You asked who the Olympians are and I will now answer your question." Chiron took out a strange looking remote from his pocket and swiped his index finger over it. A strange humming sound reverberated throughout the room. The lights switched off, but the floor, ceiling, and walls started to glow white. My jaw dropped.

"The Olympians are a group dedicated to running basic businesses. Everything you see came from the Olympians. Each one is in charge of creating certain products and selling them using different company names. That way, no one will be suspicious about who owns what. In reality, everything comes from just one place. An example is what you think are various shampoo companies. There may be different brands and you may think that they all come from different people, but in reality they all come from one place. An Olympian; which just so happens to be Hermes.

An owl logo appeared on the wall.

"This is the Mark of Athena." Stated Chiron. "Athena is the most intelligent women out of the Olympians and she is charge of all colleges located around the world. Those college super intendants and professors? They're just figureheads. Athena is the real deal, in charge of all funds, scholarships, and so on."

Various colleges appeared on the screens. Harvard and Yale included.

"That's impossible!" I shook my head. "One person can't be in charge of all that!"

"It can and it is. What goes for Athena goes for all the Olympians. We call them by Greek names in order to keep their real identities a secret, but everything is actually just one big branch."

"I don't think I understand."

"You get how the three branches of government work in the United States, no?"

I nodded. "There are three major branches; Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. They are each broken down into parts consisting of different powers. Like how the Supreme Court is part of the Judicial branch."

"Very good, Percy. Your intelligence should show more in your grades. From what I've seen of your file, the highest grade you've ever gotten is a C-." Chiron raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't know I had a file." I grumbled.

"You do, but never mind that for now." Chiron gestured to the wall. Three Logos appeared. One was of a lightning bolt, another of a trident, and the last of a skull. "The Olympian branch is like that except more business-like. The big three are in charge of the three major companies in business. After that, it's one big branch. One person is in charge of each Olympian prospect. Can you imagine it? One person, in control of so much wealth and power? I would tell you more, but I think you understand the big picture."

"How does this all have to do with me?" I still needed to know.

"I was getting to that." The hologram of a scythe beside a Greek helmet with crossing swords behind it appeared. "Kronos's Army and the Olympians are at conflict. The former believes that the Olympians have unrightful power and would rather take over themselves. The latter believes just the opposite. Five months ago, Kronos's army declared war on the Olympians. Their main goal now is to find more members to join them. You are one of their targets."

I was taken aback, not to mention starting to feel dizzy. "Why me? There's nothing I have that they could possibly want."

"You are wrong, Percy. What you have is more important than anything else they would need."

"What is it?"

"A direct relation with one of the Olympians." Said Chiron solemnly.

"What?!" I jumped up from my seat and instantly regretted it. The world spun around me and I grabbed the back of my seat for support.

"Your father is one of the Olympians." Replied Chiron. "By having you as part of their army, the enemy has a higher of a chance of hitting the Olympians where it hurts most. With one of their own."

I started shivering. "That's why they've been after me?" I ran my hand through my sweaty hair. "I get that concept, but why would they bring my family into this?"

Chiron got a dark look on his face. "Not a single member of that supposed army cares for the lives of others. If threatening those you love will get you to do as they please then so be it for them. We have been keeping our eyes on you and your younger brother Tyson, but not twenty four seven, which is apparently what we should have done."

I asked the thing that started this whole conversation. "If you brought me here, what did you do to Tyson?"

"We kept a close eye on him, while you were out to make sure that he was safe. Grover used your phone to text a certain Bianca for the favor of picking him up from school."

A wave of drowsiness came over me. "What time is it now?"

"Three-thirty." Chiron grabbed my arm. "Percy, I think you need to sit down. Grover must've put too much nectar into the chocolate he gave you, and now you're having some side effects."

"Nectar?" Everything seemed to be changing in color.

"Don't ask." Chiron said. "Just sit down before you pass out."

My hand slipped from the chair.

I managed to say one more thing before the darkness overcame me. "Too late."

**LINEBREAKLINEBREAKLINEBREAKLINEBREAK**

I opened my eyes and realized that I was back in my room. I rubbed my eyes and sat up in a haze.

Was that all dream?

I felt something near my hand and saw a note.

"_You seem to have a real knack for passing out, don't you think? Travis and I were in charge of sneaking you into the house because we're awesome like that._

_P.S. We jacked twenty bucks from your wallet."_

_**So much for it all being a dream, I thought.**_

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXX**_

**I DON'T KNOW IF I AM PROUD OF THIS CHAPTER OR NOT. THE ENDING SEEMED KIND OF RUSHED TO ME, BUT OH WELL :(**

**ANYWAYS-REVIEW REPLIES-**

**CODEX-Sally and Tyson are going to play some huge roles later on in the story. They are the big reason that Percy will decide to j-Well, you'll see ;).**

**NOBODY-Yeah a kick down there would probably hurt a lot, right? This story is sort-of like that except that Grover will have his own problems to deal with. Poor Grover.**

**Guest- Thank you :D. I'll try to keep it that way. I have a lot of mean things planned out so...woohoo?**


	8. Going Back

**I AM SO SORRY THAT I UPDATED THIS LATE, AND TO TOP IT OFF, I'M STILL NOT EVEN CONTENT WITH THIS CHAPTER. STATE TESTING AND FINALS ARE COMING UP, AND I'M TERRIFIED THAT I'LL FAIL IN MATH SO I HAVE THAT BLOCKING MY SCHEDULE. I'VE GOT 3 PERSUASIVE ESSAYS TO FINISH, NOT TO MENTION SOME PERSONAL PROBLEMS GOING ON, BUT I'LL STILL TRY TO UPDATE WHEN POSSIBLE. **

**I HAVE A FAVOR TO ASK YOU GUYS. LATELY I'VE BEEN LOOKING BACK ON SOME OF MY CHAPTERS AND FEELING A BIT UNSATISFIED, AND I WANTED TO KNOW IF YOU COULD POSSIBLY LEAVE SOME TYPE OF CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM SO THAT I CAN IMPROVE MY WRITING. FOR EXAMPLE-**

**1.) WHAT WORDS AM I OVER-USING AND WHAT OTHER WORDS CAN I USE INSTEAD?**

**2.) WHAT ARE SOME THINGS IN THE STORY THAT YOU WANT ME TO BRING MORE INTO LIGHT?**

**STUFF LIKE THAT. I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT, AND THANKS IN ADVANCE!**

**OKAY, NOW ON TO THE CHAPTER!**

**DISCLAIMER: ALL RIGHTS GO TO RICK RIORDAN AND ETC.**

_"We keep moving forward,_

_ opening new doors, _

_and doing new things, _

_because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."  
_

_-Walt Disney_

**PERCY'S POV-**

"One second Tyson!" I need to get the glue from your room!" Someone pushed open my bedroom door and caught me off guard.

"Gah!" I fell over the side of my bed.

Bianca jumped about three feet in the air and clutched the front of her shirt. "Percy! You scared me half to death!"

"Sorry Bianca." I got up and leaned against the wall. I felt a lot better than I had a few hours before. "I was just caught off guard when you came in, is all."

Bianca relaxed and walked towards the desk next to me. "When did you get here? How come I didn't see you come in?" She started rifling through the bottom desk drawer.

I stretched out my arms and winced due to my still-sore body. Bianca sent me a strange look. "I don't remember." That's not a total lie. "I was in a bit of a daze when I got here, and I must've fallen asleep or something."

"You _do_ seem a bit tired." Bianca said sympathetically. "Now that you're here, what was the really important thing?"

"What?" I give her a blank stare.

"Here it is!" Bianca raised a bottle of glue triumphantly, and closed the drawer. "You told me to pick up Tyson because you had to do some important thing last minute. What was it?"

Bianca stood up and waited intently for an answer.

I coughed in search of an excuse. "Uh..I had a..can I see the text message I sent you?"

Bianca put her hands on her hips. "You sent it to me. Shouldn't you already know what it says?"

"Right…" I scratched the back of my head. "You see, there was this small incident-" My phone vibrated in my pocket and I took that as my chance to distract Bianca. "Oops, I've got to check this. One sec."

I smiled in what I hoped didn't look like relief, and took out my phone with an old man level slowness, ignoring Bianca's look of annoyance. I flipped open my phone to see one unread message. I clicked on it.

_MESSAGE FROM: UNKNOWN STALKER_

_P.P.S TELL THAT HOT BIANCA BABE THAT YOU HAD TO STAY FOR AFTERSCHOOL DETENTION BECAUSE YOU MOUTHED OFF A TEACHER. YOU DO IT PLENTY ENOUGH (AGAIN, DON'T ASK HOW WE KNOW) AND SHE PROBABLY WON'T SNITCH ON YOU. _

I shivered. It probably wasn't a coincidence that the text had arrived right when Bianca asked for an explanation. I was overcome with a feeling of nakedness that I felt would soon drive me insane.

"Percy!" Bianca snapped her fingers in front of my face.

I looked up and put away my phone. "Sorry again, I blanked out for a bit." Before she could speak, I cut her off. "I couldn't pick up Tyson because I had to stay for afterschool detention, but I promise that I'll try not to do it again if _you_ promise not to tell my mom. I don't want to disappoint her more than I already do."

Bianca put her hands on my shoulders, causing me to feel guilty for telling her a lie. "Don't think like that. You've made Sally prouder than anyone ever has. I cross my heart that I won't tell her." I held back a fist pump. "Can you tell me who the teacher was?"

The answer popped into my head right away. "Mr. Andrews."

"Again?!" Bianca growled. She almost always takes my side. "What did he say to you this time?"

I removed her hands from my shoulders. "The usual." I made an imitation of a strict man going through a mid-life crisis. "Perseus Jackson you will end up on the street if you keep doing what you're doing! You'll be lucky to even get a job at Mcdonalds!" I switched back to my normal voice. "I called him an old sot, whatever that is."

Bianca chuckled. "An old sot is a drunk." She waved me over and we walked out into the hall together. "I wonder how people like that can still be teachers. I thought a teacher was supposed to be someone who built you up and got you ready for life with knowledge, but most of them seem to be the exact opposite." Bianca shook her head in disgust. "Come on, Tyson's waiting for me with the glue."

I blinked, surprise hitting me like a blow (I've experienced plenty of those to know what it feels like). That was it? No in depth interrogation? Lying was that easy? All these years I thought it was rocket science, but all it seemed to be now was a small fib!

"Aren't you coming?" Bianca was five feet away.

I shook my head, partly to acknowledge her and partly to clear my mind, as I seem to be doing often lately.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXLINE BREAKXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**PERCY'S POV-WEDNESDAY MORNING-**

Why had I agreed to this? There's no reason I need to go through any of it. What stupid person would put them selves into this situation?

"Watch your step, it gets darker going down." Luke pointed his flashlight in the general direction of our destination.

I followed Luke down the set of never ending stairs, sliding my sweaty palms down the wall. I still can't understand what came over me when I accepted coming to this meeting or "special training orientation" as Chiron had called it. Everything had happened so suddenly, from the message in my bedroom all the way to now.

_**FLASHBACK**_

_I pulled my jeans on and noticed that my right pocket felt slightly heavy. Confused, I reached into it and pulled out a note tied to a ten-gram metal block. What the heck?_

_I unfurled the note and read it, my heart racing when I realized who this was from. They wanted me to ditch school for this? It would only be a matter of time before I got caught. My friends would be suspicious. Nico would tell Bianca that I wasn't at school and she would swear that I was. Nothing will go right if I agree to it. I don't have to go. I'm not being forced. Yet why do I feel such a need to attend? _

_I crumpled up the piece of paper and grabbed my bike chain key. I never ride it to school, but this isn't school I'm going to. _

_On my way out, I dump the note in the kitchen trashcan without sparing my mom or Tyson a glance. _

_I go over the message in my head, not caring if I had made the right choice or not. Curiosity can kill the cat if it wants to._

"_**Our meeting was never completed yesterday. If you want to fill in the blank spots, meet Luke at the alley two blocks away from your school. We have a proposition that will interest us both."**_

_**END OF FLASHBACK**_

"Ever since Chiron saw your file, he knew you were something special. Not one of us, excluding Travis and Connor of course, has ever gotten into as much trouble as you."

I stopped myself from tripping a split second before I almost did. "How does that make me special? It just proves that I'm some troubled kid who has issues with following the rules."

"Not everything you got in trouble for was stereotypical bad boy stuff." Luke stated. "That time you were caught wandering alone in downtown Manhattan during school hours wasn't something that every kid goes through. Do you remember what happened?"

I flinched at the memory and nodded. "It was during recess in third grade. I fell asleep in the school playground and woke up in the same alleyway I met you on a while ago. The school said that I was caught sneaking out on the video recorder, but I don't remember any of it. It's a good thing the police found me before I could wander away even farther or else I would've been lost for more than a few hours."

"Not totally a good thing." Luke walked me through a hallway leading to a metal door twenty feet away.

"What do you mean?" It struck me as a bit disturbing that Luke would think a eight year-old kid should stay lost in a big city.

"When Chiron looked into that case, he found out that the tape the school found wasn't really you, just the back of someone that looked like you at the time. The alleyway you woke up in wasn't so far from our training area. Someone must've dropped you off there while you were sleeping. I know it sounds creepy, but it was no coincidence that you woke up where you did. Someone wanted us to find you before Kronos's army could."

"At age eight?" I tried to imagine a third grader being asked to join a secret intelligence service.

"We can't officially join the Olympians until the age of fifteen, but that doesn't mean the training has to wait until then. There's no age limit to a business like this. By the time I was five, I knew how to handle any gun I was given." Luke scrunched up his nose. "I've got to admit that even to me its kind of sick having to do a job like this. I always find myself wondering if any of it is worth it…."

Luke put his hand on a blue scanner next to the metal door we had arrived at. I heard the sound of rushing air along with a few beeping noises.

The door popped open and Luke turned to me. He looked strangely menacing with shadows playing across his face. "Until I remember that I'm not important enough to have a choice."

**XXXXXX LINE BREAK XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**ANNABETH'S POV-**

I slammed my locker door with as much force as possible. The clash of metal reverberated throughout the hall.

"Someone's in a bad mood." Thalia walked up to me, smirking.

"I'm not up to joking right now."

Thalia must've caught the seriousness in my voice because she wiped the mocking smile off her face. "What's wrong?" Her fists curled into a ball. "Who do I need to murder?"

I let out a heavy breath. "Sadly, this isn't a problem that can get solved easily. I'm having problems with my dad again."

Thalia crossed her arms. "That guy needs to learn how to appreciate his kid. You're the smartest person I have ever met, and I don't understand how he can't see that."

"I can't fully blame him. Ever since Matt passed away, he's never been the same." I wrung my hands. "He's just treating _me _how he used to treat _him_."

"You have got to be kidding me." Thalia snarled. "No matter how many times he makes you angry, you still defend him. I gave up on my dad a long time ago when I realized that he was unreachable. Maybe you should do the same."

"I _never_ give up on someone. I may want to throttle them or stick some acid down their throat, but giving up isn't an option." I clutched the shoulder straps of my backpack, and started down the hall.

Thalia had to jog in order to catch up to me. "I'll admit that everyone needs some pushing once in a while. That's a common fact." Thalia drew an invisible line on the air with her finger. "The problem with some people, your dad for instance, is that there comes a point when they've gone too far on the pushing."

"Like how you did with Percy the other day?" My steps turned to strides.

"I thought we got over that." Thalia's voice was strained. "What I'm trying to tell you is that there will be a day when your dad pushes too many buttons and you'll need to step in and take charge. Stand up for yourself."

I made a right turn. "Thalia, you're making it sound like he's beating me or something. All he's doing is try to lead me in the proper direction. The only reason I get angry about it is because of the things he says."

"Exactly, that's what I'm talking about. Your dad says that he's trying to help you with leading your life, yet the things he tells you are so insulting and hurtful, its as if he was your enemy."

"Please, let's just talk about something else. I don't want to spoil my morning anymore."

Thalia looks like she's about to protest for a second, but I walk into the classroom before she has a chance to say anything. We have different homerooms so she isn't able to follow me in. Good.

I sit down, taking out my notebook and pen. Percy isn't here and neither is 57% of the class, leaving me with nothing to do except start my essay. I'm not really one to procrastinate with such an important assignment as this.

_**The Difference Between Love and Destruction-Rough Draft**_

I underline my title for emphasis. I lean back in my chair, and think for a moment.

My best bet for this essay is to write it based on personal experiences, our English teacher _did _say to make it opinionative. I recollect everything that has happened in the past few days.

I make a column on the side of my paper, numbered from one to five. At the top I write:

_Who do I love?_

I use my fingers to count out those closest to me, and add them under the column as I go along.

_1. I love my dad, no matter how hard he may pressure me at times. I respect him._

_2. My brother Matt died when I was eight, yet I'll never forget him._

_3. Thalia is like a sister to me, though she may be very annoying at times._

_4. I hardly remember my mom because she left when I was five. What I can recall is how she would remind me every night that I was going to do big things some day._

I pause, contemplating who could be my lucky number five. What other person do I know that adds so much influence into my life?

I glance at the empty seat beside me. Of course!

_5. Percy Jackson has been with me through thick and thin. I can't think of anyone else who's really had my back like he has. Lately, he's been getting strangely distant, and it hurts. _

I put down my pen when I am hit with a sudden sense of realization. All this time I was in denial, shunning the thing always roaming in the back of my head somewhere. It took me all this time to realize the truth. I love Percy as more than just a friend. I love him like I would a brother.

He's the most amazing friend I could have ever been blessed with, and it pains me so much to see him fading away. To know that I haven't done enough to try and stop it, until now.

I flip to a fresh page in my notebook and start planning out my idea. I can't let Percy get away from me, not anymore than he has already.

_**Not like everyone else in my early life.**_

_**LINEBREAKLINEBREAKLINEBREAKLINEBREAK**_

**TADA! THATS THE END OF THE CHAPTER. YEP, THATS ALL I'VE GOT TO SAYS SO...**

**REVIEW, FAVORITE, FOLLOW?**

**YOU'LL GET A COOKIE IF YOU DO! SOME TIME LATER IN YOUR LIFE...**


	9. The Beginning of the End

**HEY GUYS! SORRY THAT IT TOOK ME SO LONG TOO UPDATE! WHENEVER I SAT DOWN SND STARTED FIXING THE CHAPTER, SOMETHING ALWAYS POPPED UP. I WAS GOING TO UPDATE LAST FRIDAY, BUT IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY SO...THINGS GOT COMPLICATED. ANYWAYS, I HOPE THAT THE LENGTH MAKES UP FOR THE LATE UPDATE. I WAS WORRIED THAT I MADE THIS CHAPTER TOO LONG, BUT I DECIDED TO POST IT ANYWAY. **

**DISCLAIMER- I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS. THEY BELONG TO THE GENIUS WE KNOW AS RICK RIORDAN. SOME PEOPLE CALL HIM TROLL RICK (DUE TO HIS VERY PAINFUL CLIFF HANGERS. BUT THEY SAY IT WITH LOVE! AND A LITTLE BIT OF HATE...) OR UNCLE RICK, BUT WHATEVER.**

**_"To get a dream of life again,_  
**

**_A little vision of the start at the end,_**

**_But all the choirs in my head sang,_**

**_No, oh, oh"_**

**__-Florence + The Machine: Breath of Life**

**PERCY'S POV-**

"We want you to join us."

"What?" I had literally just gotten here, and the first thing Chiron threw at me was _that_?

"You heard me Perseus. We want you to join us. There is no other easier way to phrase this." Chiron talked to me like he would a five year old.

"I can't believe you, any of you." I clenched my fists. "I was called down here to waste my time, only so that I could be asked to join?"

Chiron gave me an innocently questioning look. "_You_ were the one that chose to come. We never forced you."

"Yeah, but when you receive some mysterious note telling you to meet someone at an alleyway for a "proposition", it strikes curiosity. You know?"

"Mhm" Chiron leaned back in his wheelchair. "Does that still change the fact that you had no need to come, yet you did?"

"I-" I sighed and looked down at my feet. I had been offered a chair, but I refused to sit. "No, no it doesn't."

"Good, but that's not what we're here to talk about. We are here to discuss whether you would like to join the Olympians or not." Chiron folded his hands neatly in front of him.

I traced the wood burnings on the table sitting in front of me. Before Luke had left me here, he had given me a warning look. Thinking back on it, he must've already known what I was in for, and didn't think I should join.

Chiron must've waited long enough because he spoke. "If you decide to become one of us, Kronos's Army will no longer be a bother to you or your family."

This caught my attention. "That can't be right though. Couldn't they kill everyone I care about, if I join you? That's what they said they would do."

"Percy, Kronos's Army isn't some random gang who kills for the fun of it." Chiron's eyes held a steely aspect to them. "They kill when there is a need. Once you join us, there will no longer be one. Either way, you would still have to choose. Do you want to be one of us or one of them?"

"I don't want to be one of any of you. I want to go on with my life like a normal human being."

"If you decide to do that, then we would have to keep you under constant surveillance to make sure Kronos's Army goes nowhere near you or your family."

I shivered at the thought of having next to no privacy for the rest of my life.

"After a while, we wouldn't be able to do that anymore." Chiron jabbed the table. "The Olympians aren't some babysitting company. Once we stop keeping our eyes on you, it will only be a matter of time before they get to you and those you love. I don't think you want that."

"I don't, but can you at least give me some time to consider this?" My voice was desperate.

"Absolutely. No one expects you to rush into anything."

"Under no surveillance." I stated.

Chiron looked taken aback. "That wouldn't be a wise choice."

"Please, I want to feel like I am on my own with this."

Chiron thought for what seemed like forever, until he answered. "Very well then. No surveillance."

"Thank you." I turned to leave.

"But don't say I didn't warn you." Chiron cast me one more glance, before wheeling away.

**XXXXXXXXXXLINE BREAKXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Once I was out of the Olympian training headquarters, I decided to go for a stroll in the park. There was no reason to go to school. The administrator would only ask questions and either way, it was two-thirty. School would end in less than an hour.

I turned a corner and saw a drug store. Knowing, I had twenty bucks, I walked in.

"Yeah man, it was crazy! The car just flipped over and whoosh!" The cashier was having a conversation with one of his customers.

I grabbed a bag of cheesy ruffles and walked up to the counter.

"Really? I heard some teens did it!"

The cashier scanned my chips. "It happened a few minutes ago, very near here. They were looking for some boy. Eh, what's his name?" He turned to me. "That'll be one dollar and seven cents."

I gave him my twenty.

"I think it was Peter Johnson or something like that." The customer obviously didn't want the conversation to end.

"Nah, it was some queer name like er…" He gave me my change and I turned to walk away.

"Jackson!"

I stopped mid-step.

The customer raised his voice. "They were looking for some kid named Percy Jackson!"

"That's right!" I could hear the pity in the cashier's voice. "Wouldn't want to be him."

I walked back up to the counter. "Excuse me, I hate to break into your conversation, but what are you talking about?"

"You haven't heard? It's all over the news!" The cashiers name tag read 'Bill'. "Some teenagers rampaged a store looking for a boy named Percy Jackson! They're going crazy trying to find him!"

"How far away was this from here?" I tried not to let my fear show.

"A few blocks away, right George?"

George nodded seriously. "I was telling Bill here how he should close up early today. In case they came here."

"I can't do that!" Bill shook his head. "My boss would kill me if he found out I shut down early!"

"Better your boss kill you than those wild lunatics!" George turned to face me. "If I was you, I'd go home quick! Don't want to be caught in the middle of this, do yah?"

I already am. "Thanks, I guess I'll take your advice and go home now. Before something worse happens."

"Right you should! Good luck!"

I ran out of the store as fast as my legs could take me. On my way past a trashcan I dumped my chips. No need to have them slowing me down.

Right when I was about to turn a corner, I heard an explosion. Looking back, I saw that the drug store I was just in, had exploded. No one had survived.

Before I could really take everything in, two boys with bandanas covering the bottom half of their faces walked out of the ashes. None of them seemed to be anyone I recognized. For once, Ethan wasn't one of them.

The one wearing a red bandana pointed at me. I had no choice, but to make a run for it.

I pushed through various crowds of people, earning a bunch of growls and rude Remarks. How stupid I was to tell Chiron that I needed no surveillance.

I end up in the empty park I was planning on going to, and I'm about to hide under a bridge, when I realize something. I'm a coward.

I'm a pathetic loser who's risking the lives of innocent people, just because he's afraid. I feel disgusted to be me.

I hear the sounds of pedestrians screaming in the distance, and I make a choice. These people don't need to die for me.

"Come on out, Jackson!" A voice eager for a kill shouts nearby.

Instead of hiding, I walk out to meet them.

Standing in an empty field of grass, are the two boys dressed all in black. I hold my ground as they come towards me.

"Told you it'd be easy to find him." The same person who spoke first, states again. "All we had to do was shoot a few people, and bam! Here comes the hero!"

The person wearing a blue bandana says nothing.

"What are you waiting for?" I make sure that my voice doesn't shake. "Aren't you going to take me to your boss or something?"

Red bandana guy speaks. "It's not that easy. We need to show at least _some_ sign of struggle. Can't have the boss thinking we didn't try."

I know what's going to happen before it does. The silent guy stands still as his partner takes out a gun and points it at me. "Don't worry, this will only hurt a lot."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX LINE BREAK XXXXXXXXXXX**

**BIANCA'S POV-**

The first thing that pops into my head when I find out about the exploding drug store is "I've got to pick up the kids".

The story is all over the news. Some teenage gang is attacking various stores in search of a boy named-well I don't know what his name is. I turned off the television before I could hear it.

"Is there any way you could bag that a little faster?"

I had stopped by to pick up a gift for Nico, and was now waiting for it to be wrapped.

"Sorry miss, my hands are shaking too much to hurry." The 60-year old man finishes up what he's doing. "Here you go."

"Thank you." I pay the man and rush out of the store. I can't wait to see Nico's face light up when he opens this!

As I'm driving down the street, I notice two ninja-like figures sneaking into the park. Overcome with curiosity, I grab my shoulder bag and stop the car. They are obviously looking for someone, and I intend to find out who.

The two masked figures seem eager to find who ever they are searching for. The tallest one with a red bandana wrapped over his mouth is practically quivering with excitement. "Come on out, Jackson!"

Jackson? I think for a moment until it suddenly dawns on me. These are the people who are attacking all those public areas in search of a boy….a boy who's name is Jackson.

I duck behind a tree, feeling suddenly unhidden. I should run, but I don't, due to my burning questions.

A few seconds pass, until the figure of a young boy steps out from near a bridge. Even if I can't see his face, it is obvious that he is no older than twelve or thirteen. I quickly reach into my bag and take out my cellphone, planning to call the police. What happens next makes me freeze.

The two ninja guys walk towards the boy. One of them speaks, but I can't tell which one it is.

"Told you it'd be easy to find him. All we had to do was shoot a few people, and bam! Here comes the hero!"

"What are you waiting for?" I recognize this voice. "Aren't you going to take me to your boss or something?"

The victimized boy steps forward, and I hold back a gasp. My heart clenches when I realize that the boy these people are after is Percy Jackson, the boy I've known since he was in diapers. The boy whose mother and brother were waiting for him to come home, somewhere in this world.

"It's not that easy. We need to show at least _some_ sign of struggle." I don't care who says this. What matters is whom he is saying it to. "Can't have the boss thinking we didn't try."

I choke back a sob when I see the speaker take out a gun and point it at Percy. "Don't worry, this will only hurt a lot."

_Yes it will, for me._

I jump out from where I crouch and push Percy out of the way.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX LINE BREAK XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
**

**PERCY'S POV-**

Two things happened at once.

Number one: The wind got knocked out of me after being pushed onto the ground by a mysterious force.

Number two: The sound of a gun going off rang through the park.

A dreamlike quality passed through me when I looked up and saw red bandana still holding his gun the way he had been before it went off. Both him and his partner were standing frozen in what seemed like shock, waiting for some type of reaction from me.

My breath caught in my throat when I saw why they were acting this way. Lying on the ground next to me was Bianca, working in vain to stop the free flow of blood coming from the bullet wound on her stomach. I latched on to the grass, feeling as if the world itself was slipping away.

"We need to leave." In the distance, blue bandana finally spoke. "It will only be a matter of time before they arrive."

From the corner of my eye, I see that red bandana seems to not of heard a word. His dark blue eyes were wide in shock and…was that guilt?

"Let's go!" Blue bandana dragged his partner away from where Bianca and I lay. Good riddance.

I crawled over to Bianca and put my arm behind her head.

"Percy…I'm really sorry." She says.

I shake my head, wiping the tears forming in my eyes. "This isn't your fault, none of it."

"I'm not apologizing because of that. I know this isn't my fault." Bianca's voice shook. "It's not anyone's, but I'm still sorry because-" a sob escaped Bianca- "because I don't think I'll still be here to see you guys grow up. I won't be around to keep you guys safe, like I promised I would."

"No, no don't say that!" I gripped Bianca's hand. "I don't want to hear you talk like that anymore!" I notice Bianca's bag and grab it. "Where's your cellphone? We need to call the police or-or the ambulance." I'm shaking all over and can't force myself to stop.

Bianca grabs my arm. "Percy listen to me."

"Where's the phone Bianca!?" I tug at my hair with both my hands. "We can't waste any time!"

"Percy, listen to me." Bianca puts effort into sitting up and cups the sides of my face. My breathing is unsteady and I feel on the verge of a panic attack.

"No, I need to find the phone." My eyes flicker to Bianca's bag. "Before it's too late."

"Percy, I need you to look at me." Bianca forces me to meet her eyes. "This isn't like all those other times when I let you off the hook for not doing what I tell you. This is different."

"I know, but what does that have to do with anything?" My hands ache to dial 9-1-1.

"Everything. It has everything to do with this because I can't afford to leave you off the hook now. "

"Bianca you're not making any sense!"

Bianca reaches into her bag and takes out a box wrapped in a deep red wrapping paper. "I need you to give this to Nico. Tell him that I love him and make sure that he knows I mean it." Bianca's face is an ill-looking pale color, very different from her usual healthy olive skinned glow. "Hopefully he won't get into too much trouble when I'm gone." Bianca chuckles slightly.

"What are you-" Bianca's eyes started to flutter close, meanwhile blood gushed even more from her wound. "Bianca?" I shake her, but she doesn't respond. "Bianca! Wake up! Get up! Do something please!"

In the distance, I hear the sound of an ambulance parking nearby.

"Bianca!" My vision becomes blurred with tears that I have no chance of stopping. "Someone help!"

"I told you I heard a gunshot!" Various footsteps push past the park trees. "They're over here! Oh my gosh! A little girl got shot!"

I hear the stomping of feet, and look up to see a crowd of paramedics being led by a middle aged woman towards where Bianca and I lay. A man with a scruffy beard pushes me away from Bianca and puts two fingers on her wrist. "She has no pulse!"

In the midst of all the chaos, no one seems to notice me so I grab the red colored present Bianca got Nico, stuff it into her bag, and start walking unsteadily away. I look back once more to see the lifeless body of Bianca, regretting it on the spot.

I turn on my heel with a sense of determination, taking my cellphone out as I cross the street.

I dial the number given to me less than three hours ago.

"Hello?"

"I'll do it." My voice sounds nothing like it had a moment ago with Bianca. All gentleness is gone, replaced with something cold and empty.

"Percy, is that you?" Gosh, how I wish I could punch someone right now.

"Yes Grover it's me." Or is it? Who am I anymore? "Didn't you hear me? I said that I would do it."

"Do what? Percy, I need an explanation here." Grover sounds utterly confused.

"Join the Olympians!" I almost trip over a piece of uneven concrete, and curse. "What else did you think I meant?"

"Calm down, man! You're screaming into the phone!" Huh, I didn't realize. "Are you sure you want to do this? You don't sound too good right now."

"I wouldn't be calling if I wasn't sure." I make more of an effort to keep my voice controlled. "Why would you care if I don't sound good anyway? Your job is to recruit new members. Stick to doing what you're supposed to and don't ask questions."

"Aye aye, captain." Grover says sarcastically. "I'll tell Chiron. Meet Luke at the same place around five-thirty."

Before he hangs up the phone, I hear Grover whisper something that sounded like, "Son of the sea? Yeah right, more like the son of lightning."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**ANNABETH'S POV-**

"I wonder what's taking Bianca so long." Nico puts down his mythomagic cards for a moment.

"Bianca has a life too, Nico." Thalia sais. "You can't blame her for wanting to have some alone time."

We were sitting in our usual spot under the park oak in front of school, waiting for Bianca to arrive and pick up Nico. Right now it was four fifty-five, and she still hadn't arrived.

"Yeah, but.." Nico traces the wooden carvings on one of his mytho-action figures, "I have a really bad feeling."

I rest my chin on my knee. "A bad feeling? What do you mean by that?"

Nico starts stacking his cards into separate areas. "I don't know I just-" Nico lets out a choked breath-"have an intuition."

"Nico, quit it with the mystic talk and explain correctly!" Thalia hands Tyson an apple she had saved from lunch. Whenever Percy didn't pick him up, he would walk over here and wait along with the rest of us.

"Thanks." He said.

"I will, only if you promise not to laugh." Nico's eyes flicker to Thalia nervously.

"I will do no such thing." Thalia replies seriously.

Nico gave up and decided to tell us anyway. "It's like a-a-" Nico puts a hand on his chest-"a feeling that I have in my heart. Something's telling me that everything we know is about to go wrong."

"A prophet type of thing?" Thalia's face is completely blank as she says this.

Nico lookes down, and went on fiddling with his items-o-nerd. "Yeah, exactly."

Thalia studies Nico's face for a second. I have a feeling that if she had the chance to finish, whatever came out of her mouth would probably have been sarcastic, but she didn't because in the distance was the silhouette of Percy coming towards us with some disturbing looking red liquid smearing his clothes.

Before he was even three feet away from us, I spoke. "Percy, what happened to you?!" I walk up to him and try to check for any injuries, but he pushes me hand away. "What's wrong?"

When Percy looks me in the eye, I see that his eyelids look slightly swollen from crying. "Everything."

"What do you mean by everything?" The way he puts so much venom into one word frightens me. This isn't how Percy acts.

"Is that Bianca's bag?" Nico is still sitting where I left him, tilting to the side in order to get a closer look at what Percy is holding.

"Yeah." Percy answers in a hoarse whisper.

"Where's Bianca then?" Nico looks around as if expecting his sister to jump out of the blue.

Percy drags himself over to Nico, and kneels in front of him, hugging the bag to his chest. I follow. "Bianca's not…here."

"Did she go home without me?"

"No she left somewhere else." Percy can't seem to look at Nico.

"Where?" Nico seems bewildered beyond belief.

"I'm not sure, but I don't think she's-she's coming back." I take a closer look at the stuff on Percy's shirt.

"Seaweed brain, is that blood?" It's a miracle that my voice doesn't shake.

He doesn't answer.

"Percy, cut it with your little zombie phase. You're freaking out Tyson!" Thalia gestures over to said 8 year-old, and only now does Percy seem to notice him.

"Take Tyson over to the play-area. He can't hear this."

Thalia takes Tyson's hand. "Fine, but you better tell me what's going on when I come back."

When Thalia and Tyson's footsteps fade, Percy turns to Nico. "Bianca got into an accident."

"What?" Nico is caught by surprise, and so am I. "How bad of an accident?"

"I-I don't know yet. I wanted to be the first one to tell you what happened because I was there and I saw it all."

"Tell me what happened already!" Nico rips out fistfuls of grass.

"These two members of a-I don't know really, had cornered me in the park. One of them took out a gun and-" Percy gulped.

"And what!?" Nico stood up, glaring at Percy.

"Nico, sit down. Let him finish." I try to pull Nico back onto the grass, but he turns to me and sneers.

"You can't tell me what to do! Only my sister can and she's not here!" Nico stomps his foot. "Tell me where she is!"

"I didn't mean for her to get caught in the middle of it. I swear, I didn't know she was behind that tree-" Percy isn't given a chance to end his statement.

"I don't care for explanations! Just tell me where my sister is or _I swear_ that I'll smash you headfirst into that tree!" Despite Nico's scrawny stature, at this moment it isn't hard to believe that he would really do that.

"She took the bullet for me!" Percy's face turns red. "No one asked her to! I didn't know it would happen!"

Quick as lightning, Nico throws a punch at Percy's face.

"Nico!" I grab his arms before he can do anymore.

"It was your fault! You must've done something stupid to set off that gang and Bianca got hurt for it!" Angry tears run down Nico's face. "You always do stuff that gets everyone into trouble because you're selfish like that! You say you don't mean to do things, but you don't stop yourself from doing them in the first place!"

"Please relax!" I'm practically begging Nico to stop.

"She said to tell you that she loves you. She wanted me to give you something." A bruise is forming above Percy's lip, but he seems to feel no pain.

"I don't want to hear her words come out of your mouth!" Nico tears himself away from me, and grabs his stuff to leave, but Percy won't have any of it.

"She said to make sure that you really believe it when I tell you." Percy takes a cautious step towards his ex-friend.

"Shut up already!" Nico puts his hands over his ears and walks away. Percy takes the brave route and grabs Nico's arm.

"Take this." Nico eyes the bag that Percy shoves towards him. "Please take it, and I promise you that you'll never have to see me again. Bianca left something inside it for you."

Seconds pass, until Nico snatches away the bag from Percy's hands. "I'll hold you to that," he says before fast-walking away.

"You don't really mean it, do you?" I stand a meter away from Percy. "About him never having to see you again?"

Percy purses his lips. "I do."

He lifts up his hood and starts to go on his way. "You can't expect to be able to walk away so easily after what happened."

"Annabeth, leave me alone." Percy doesn't stop.

"Why would I leave my friend alone when it's obvious that he needs someone to be there for him?" I cross my arms.

At this Percy pauses. "Because I'm not your friend anymore." He balls his hands into fists. "Now, stop trying to tell me otherwise and get out of my life!"

I feel as if I have just received a blow in the heart. I can almost hear it breaking as if it was some fragile piece of glass doomed to feel the full impact of Percy's words for the rest of eternity. What hurts most is that he doesn't break his pace. He keeps on walking as if he had merely told me what the weather was, and not left me feeling empty and alone.

At that moment, Thalia appears next to me with Tyson in her wake. "What happened?"

"I wish I knew myself." I take in a shaky bite of air. "Call Sally and tell her that Tyson is staying over at my house tonight. Percy left and I don't want to drop him off at the apartment. That would mean seeing Percy's face again."

**XXXXXXXLINE BREAKXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**NICO'S POV-**

I sit in my room, cross-legged in front of the flames of my bedroom fireplace. The hospital had just called to tell my dad that Bianca was dead. Blood loss, supposedly, but I know the truth. It's all Percy's fault.

In my hand, I hold two things, both of which I feel have a special spot of hatred in my heart. I look to my left hand and see the action figure Bianca gave me; the last gift I will ever receive from my sister, he Greek god Hades in all his dark cloaked glory. Pathetic, like me. It's all fake, none of it is real and I just pretend it is in order to escape the world.

I look to my right hand and see the slip of paper that started all this thought process in the first place. Even with the flickering shadows messing up the light, I can see what it says clearly.

"_**The stage of adolescence in which a child expresses themselves with a certain object**_."

I scoff because I finally understand what it all means. I'm done with being in that stage. I refuse to stay stupefied for any longer, and I'm deciding to quit "expressing myself" because no one will understand what I'm trying to say anyway. Starting now, I'm through with being everyone's puppet, the stereotypical nerd who always carries around his mythomagic cards.

I reach into my backpack and take out the box containing each and every mythomagic piece I have ever owned. I don't even blink as I toss it into the fire.

I stand up and stare long and hard at the objects in my hand. Around me, the room is dark; cold.

I let the slip of paper flutter on it's own into the flames.

Next victim: Bianca's gift. I have a moment of doubt where I'm not sure I should dump it into the fireplace, until I remember the reason I wanted to do it in the first place.

All that time I could've spent with Bianca, I was too busy playing with some worthless pieces of plastic. Day after day was spent ignoring her, and paying more attention to figurines like the one in my hand. Now it's my chance to start all over and get rid of this stupid waste of a hobby.

I glare at Hades before he too, gets turned into ashes.

Do I regret it? No, like I said, I'm through.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX**

**THALIA'S POV-**

Annabeth had told me what happened on the phone a few minutes ago, and I still can't believe it. Why would Percy tell her something like that? Doesn't he know that the slightest comment from him can have a huge effect on Annabeth? Of, course he does! But he chooses to ignore it!

I pace my room, thinking over the essay I have to turn in by the end of the semester. I don't know why, but after the talk with Annabeth I felt the need to start it. Maybe it's because the circumstances are in some way connected? I don't know, and either way I don't care. Percy hurt my Annie, and he won't get away with it. He'll be lucky to still be able to have children, once I'm through with him.

I take a look at what I have so far in my writing:

_**How Words Can Compare to a Natural Disaster**_

The titles' all I've got, but hey, seething takes a lot of energy out of a person! Especially when it comes to things like this. Things that I have to live with every day of my life.

Throughout my whole childhood, I had to go through each and every day hearing my dad talk about me as if I was some troublemaking maniac, meanwhile pretending that I wasn't being fazed. That just proves how much of a good actress I am. These things are the reasons I chose to write about this topic. I never expected Annabeth to have to be part of it, but now that she is, I have to protect her.

Hearing her crying on the phone was a first for me, and I don't want it to happen again unless they are tears of joy. I'll admit that I'm very overprotective of my friends, but this time the circumstances have gone too far. This time, I'll make sure it never happens again.

Even if I have to fight with nail and hammer to make sure I don't ever have to hear the sobs of a hurt friend.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXLINE BREAKXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**ANNABETH'S POV-**

"Annabeth, why are you mad at Percy?"

I look up from my untouched dinner and see Tyson tilting his head to the side in his spot across the table. "How do you know?"

"I heard you say so to Thalia."

I take a bite of chicken to keep from answering.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Tyson fills his spoon with peas. "I only want to make sure that I'll still be able to see you."

I put down my fork and lean back in my chair. "I was given an assignment in the beginning of the year."

Tyson doesn't interrupt because he knows that I say things for a reason.

"The assignment was to do an essay on a given topic. I got _**the difference between love and destruction. **_Now that I think about it, I think I get it. There is no difference, except for the now obvious fact that love hurts more."

"What do you mean?" Tyson didn't seem to get what I was trying to say.

"I mean, if someone I don't care about insults me or lies, It stings. You've got me so far?" I search Tyson's face for a reaction.

"Yeah, I think so." Tyson nods.

"But if someone I truly care about and might even love insults me or lies, it feels as if the whole world is falling apart." I chew on a piece of chicken. "That's what I think my assignment is about; how even if love is a really amazing thing, it's also deadly. You're more fragile to those you love and less willing to forgive them If they do something bad to you."

"Percy did something bad to you?" Tyson's tone shows that he can barely believe it.

"He said something that really hurt me, and its going to be hard to forgive him, but I want you to know that no matter what happens between Percy and I, you'll always be able to count on me. Okay?"

"Okay." Tyson puts out his hand for me to shake, and I smile as I do.

**XXXXXXXXXXX LINE BREAK XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**PERCY'S POV-**

"Wait here, I'm going to go get Quintus." Luke says.

I nod my head and sit down on the bleechers lining the walls. The room I'm in looks exactly like a high school gym would look, except for the fact that there are deadly weapons lining the walls and an arena in the center of the room.

Luke had picked me up in the same alley as last time, and brought me here to meet a mysterious man names Quintus. In reality, I don't care who Quintus is. As long as I can leave my old life behind, nothing hardly matters anymore.

After five minutes of sitting, I notice that there is something in my pocket. I take it out and see that it's the class assignment I got a few days ago. In the light of the arena I can make out what it says clearly:

_**The difference between a stupid decision and one that is seemingly stupid**_

I scoff at how much of an idiot I was to choose this topic. I was stupid to even think that I would be capable of making a smart decision. Scratch that, I'm always stupid. No matter what I may think, I'm some ignorant kid with no good future ahead of him. I can't do anything right; that was proven with what happened to Bianca.

Even my father didn't want me. He must've left because he realized what type of idiot I was, and wanted to get away before it was too late. Before he had the chance to go through the disappointment of having a pathetic son like me.

I can't imagine what my mom must've gone through, raising some bastard. I'm not ashamed to say it anymore because it's true and everyone knows it. My dad left before he or my mom could marry, and that's probably my fault too for being born.

"Percy? Are you okay?"

I take a moment to look up, and see Luke standing at the doorway to the arena with a middle-aged man waiting behind him.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I ask.

"Well, you're shaking, if you haven't noticed." Luke gestures at me where I'm sitting.

He's right, I'm trembling all over. I get up and toss the slip of paper into a nearby trash can. "I'm fine. Who's this?"

Luke scans my face for some type of emotion, but gives up. "This is Quintus; our swords master." Luke waves toward said man. "He's here to see on which level you are with the sword. You might've never come into contact with a sword in your life, but you may be a natural and we want to figure that out." Luke smirks. "I was one, so it's possible you could be too."

_I doubt it._

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**JUST SO YOU GUYS KNOW, THIS WILL BE THE LAST YOU READ OF THE MINI-PERCY, ANNABETH, NICO, AND ETC. (UNLESS IT'S TO BRING CERTAIN THINGS TO LIGHT. BUT THAT'LL ONLY HAPPEN IN FLASHBACKS AND SO ON.)**

**AFTER THIS CHAPTER THEY'LL BE ALL GROWN UP AND STUFF, SO THIS SERVES AS A FAIR WARNING. **

**I'LL TRY TO UPDATE FASTER, BUT THE SCHOOL YEAR IS GETTING ANNOYING SO DON'T EXPECT SOMETHING EVERY OTHER DAY. I DON'T WANT ANY OF YOU TO BE TOO DISAPPOINTED IF IT TAKES ME LONGER THAN USUAL TO ADD A NEW CHAPTER.**

**REVIEWS WOULD PROBABLY ENCOURAGE ME TO UPDATE FASTER THOUGH SO...*HINT HINT***

**REVIEW, FAVORITE, FOLLOW, LOOK DOWN UPON.**

**CHOOSE YOUR DESTINY!**

**P.S. TO ANY OF THOSE WHO MIGHT FIND THIS INTERESTING, MY DOG JUST HAD SIX PUPPIES! ALL IN ALL, WE'VE GOT AROUND TEN...WOW.**


	10. A Birthday Wish

**Hey guys! I just wanted you to know that my updating schedule will be a bit hectic due to a trip I'm taking. Due to that, I'm going to be a bit busy and might or might not be able to update more than usual. This is just a small warning so yeah...beware!**

**DISCLAIMER-NO I AM NOT RICK RIORDAN. HE SAID SO HIMSELF THAT HE'S NEVER EVEN READ A FANFICTION BEFORE SO...YOU PROBABLY WON'T FIND HIM ON THIS SITE. SORRY.**

_**"Think of me when you're out  
When you're out there  
I'll beg you nice from my knees  
And when the world treats you way too fairly  
Well it's a shame I'm a dream"**_

_**-Paramore, All I Wanted**_

**PERCY'S POV-**

_**ROUGHLY FOUR YEARS LATER-**_

"Perce, you ready?" Grover's voice crackles from the chip in my ear.

I straighten my green mask one last time, before letting out a sigh. This is one of my less exciting missions.

"Yeah, I guess." I reply.

"You don't sound too excited." Grover points out.

"Because I'm not." I groan when I see how ridiculous I look in the mirror; like a child trying to play-grown up. "I hate tuxes. Couldn't Chiron have chosen a less classy place to meet Reyna at? How is any of this even necessary?"

"Do you really want me to explain the situation to you _again_?" Grover says in an exasperated tone.

"That would be nice." I walk out of the bathroom and head towards a set of marble stairs leading down into a ballroom identical to the one in that _Beauty and the Beast_ movie….not that I've ever watched it. That would be considered unmanly.

"I don't know all the details because Chiron wouldn't tell me, but I've got the basics." Grover starts.

I nod at one of the waiters that pass by, and grab a mini cranberry brulée from his tray.

"Trouble is brewing with The U-Council and it has to do with Kronos's Army. I wasn't told the specifics, but I know that whatever is happening has got to be bad because The Legion has decided to send its Praetors here in advance." Grover gives me some time to take what he said in.

I think about Grover's explanation while I savor my dessert, and realize that my mission is a lot more than just an initiation test.

During my first year of training with The Olympians, Chiron explained to me how the whole operation works, sort of like in an Olympian 101 class. Usually an Olympian trainee undergoing initiation, also referred to as becoming determined, teaches the class but I was a special case and had to do a one-on-one class with Chiron.

By special, I mean that my father refused to reveal himself to me until my sixteenth birthday/ the day I'm accepted as an official member of the Olympian allegiance, therefore meaning that I have to learn things separate from those who have been claimed by their parents. Right now, I'm going through the steps every trainee has to go through before their birthday, which for me is next month on August eighteenth.

One of the more important things that stuck in my head was when Chiron told me about The Legion; the sibling of The Olympians located in San Francisco, California. The Legion has pretty much the same purpose as The Olympians (to carry out important missions for The U-Council and ensure that everything runs smoothly), and the only real differences between us two are that The Legion includes more people, has less contact with the actual Olympians (mostly called the U-Council to avoid confusion) than we do, runs more strictly, and lives in a more Roman style where areas we prefer the Greek way.

Each year we have a gathering called The Solstice where the leaders of The Olympians and The Legion meet on either summer or winter to discuss things privately. The meetings are held in Mount Olympus (A.K.A., a secret floor on the Empire State Building) and are pretty much the biggest event of the year for the whole organization, because in reality that's what we all are; one huge organization working for the same group of people in different sectors of the world.

This year, our Solstice is supposed to be held during the Winter, and the fact that The Legion feels such a need to send their two most respected and powerful leaders, The Praetors, here in advance is a really big deal. It means that whatever is happening between the U-Council and Kronos's Army is more serious than I thought. This is what Grover must be trying to say; we can't meet up in our usual spot because it's vital that The Praetors early arrival remain a secret.

"It's been five minutes, do you get what I'm telling you or not?" Grover's voice sounded grave.

"Yes." I whisper.

"Good, now hurry up with this mission or both of our butts will be whooped."

I disconnect our chips in the place of answering and look down into my now-empty pastry cup, to see what I expected. At the bottom of my glass is a metal coin with a logo stamped on to it that reminds me of a fancy horseshoe. With the upmost care, I secretively snatch the coin out of my cup and attach it to a magnet on the silver flat part of my ring so that it would look like just another decal. Once that's finished with, I hand my cup to a passing waiter and head into the crowd of dancing masked couples.

As I near toward the middle of the dance floor, the metal coin on my ring turns a slight shade of blue, which assures me that I'm heading in the right direction. My eyes flicker through the crowd and a lone figure in a deep red dress catches my eyes.

I weave my way cleverly through the crowd, and before I know it, I'm holding out my hand to the familiar looking figure with long dark hair running down her back and deep brown eyes hiding an innumerable amount of emotions.

"Care to dance?" I ask.

From behind her black sequined mask, I can see the girl's eyes running me up and down in a way that makes me want to try to find a paper bag big enough to cover my whole body.

"I'm not sure." She replies. "I was supposed to meet someone, but it seems to me that he's running late like always."

I turn my hand so that she can see the logo on my ring matching the engraving on her necklace before speaking again. "Who ever that someone is must be very sorry, especially when he has the chance to meet with someone as _charming_ as you." I make sure to include just the right amount of sarcasm in my voice.

"Right he should. What with how much of an idiot he is, I wouldn't be surprised if he got lost in his own home." The girl I am now sure is Reyna, takes hold of my hand with one of hers and puts the other on my shoulder.

I lead Reyna more deeply into the dance floor and start swaying to the classical music playing in the background. "That would make more sense if he had an actual home to get lost in. Although I'm pretty sure he hasn't had _that_ in four years."

Reyna shuts up right away, realizing that she had gotten too close to a sensible topic. After a few moments of silent dancing, Reyna leans close to my ear.

"I'm sorry." She whispers.

"What's Jason's cover story?" I quickly change the subject.

Reyna catches on just as fast and responds in a tone slightly above a whisper. "He's meeting up with Juniper on a fake movie date and then they're heading to half-blood alley in cab."

"That's it? No high-speed car chases? No dip in a shark tank?" I still can't believe how uneventful this mission is.

"The plan is to stay simple and remain unnoticed." Reyna seems annoyed at my disbelief. "You pick Jason and I up in completely different environments and take us to your training headquarters. Tomorrow we discuss The Army's interferences and that's all there is to it. I think it quite refreshing really; to have a more basic mission."

"If you say so." I glance down at Reyna's outfit. "Coming here must've been very important if it meant putting your grudge for dresses aside. I'm being completely serious when I say that you look like a thousand drachmas right now."

"Thank you, and I've got to say, Jackson," Reyna brushes off my shoulder," you fill out that suit quite nicely."

I feel my ears turning bright red, and I manage to sputter out a "thanks". After I finally get a hold of myself, I gesture at Reyna that its time for us to leave and we make our way through the crowd.

On the way out, I catch a glimpse of Reyna and I on a shining piece of china, and I can't help but think that maybe I don't look as bad as I thought. Maybe even a little bit handsome.

What can I say? Reyna's compliments have a way of raising my ego.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX LINE BREAK XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

I insert my card into a hidden slot on the alley wall and step back as a brick stairway appears where only a moment ago there had been a solid wall. I gesture into the dark and drafty stairway with an innocent expression.

"Ladies first." I say.

Reyna gives me a strange look.

"If you fit in that category I mean."

My comment earns me a dirty look and a jab on the foot on Reyna's part.

"Ow!" I glared at Reyna. "You _are_ aware that heels hurt more than shoes, right?"

"Completely." Reyna walks ahead of me. "Hurry up, it's almost ten P.M. and I get grumpy when I'm tired."

"You need to get more sleep then."

Reyna ignores me and once we get to the foot of the stairs, I put my hand on the blue scanner next to a metal door and stand stock-still. A hissing sound signals that the door is now open and I walk into the room on the other side.

"You guys need more security here." Reyna states. "A scanner and an I.D. card won't cut it in our world."

I walk up to the unoccupied front desk and place my hand on another hidden scanner disguised as a notepad that only members of The Olympians know about. Even Reyna has no idea that almost everything in this room serves a completely different purpose.

"We have more security than meets the eye, Reyna." I say.

She doesn't have the chance to respond because a few seconds later the security guard I summoned using the "notepad", Peleus, comes in through a sliding door to meet us.

"Hey Percy!" Peleus practically crushes my fingers with his handshake. He turns to Reyna and bows. "Always nice to see you Praetor Reyna!"

Peleus is a nineteen year-old man that's been part of the security team for the past five years, who happens to look like he can tear you to bits, but contrary to his looks, he's actually a really nice guy. Unless you cross him that is, _that's_ when he gets scary, but the last time that happened was due to an um….gardening incident.

"Chiron wants to talk to Reyna alone about certain arrangements." Peleus says to me before turning to Reyna. "Juniper and Jason got here five minutes before you guys, so you can go right away."

She nods and heads straight into the hall leading to Chiron's study.

"What about me?" I say.

"Go take a nice eight hour nap! Tomorrow Chiron will have all the house leaders over for a meeting." Peleus raises his voice in an exaggerated matter. "And don't you even think about sneaking off like you almost did last time!"

He winks at me and drops a golden holographic card discretely on his desk on his way out.

I smile and grab it as I make my way to my room.

**XXXXXXXXX LINE BREAK XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

I lock the door of my dorm, making sure that there is no way to push it open. I can't hear a thing through the thick walls of The Olympian sleeping quarters, not even Grover's loud snoring from the room next to mine, which is quite a miracle considering how loud he is in his sleep.

I face my bland, undecorated room, consisting only of a bed, mahogany desk, and a drawer. Since neither I nor anyone else know who my father/patron is, I don't have to dorm with anyone because I am counted as my own patron here in The Olympian headquarters. Something like that is very convenient for moments like these where I can sneak out more easily and frequently without having to worry about waking anyone.

I click off the bedroom lights so that anyone possibly guarding the area won't be able to suspect that I'm still awake, and flash a battery powered flashlight onto a seemingly normal piece of carpeting. I get on my knees and look for an uneven piece of carpet, served to hide a metal slot.

"Yes!" I whisper/yell in triumph when I find what I'm looking for.

Using my thumb and forefinger, I lift up the piece of carpeting and insert the golden card Peleus had left me into a thin slot. The telltale hissing lets me know that the hidden trap door is now open, just waiting for me to lift it up. Once I do, I see rungs leading down to a dark sewer below me. I slip the card known as the golden visa into a sleeve pocket in my jacket, glad that I had the time to change back into normal clothing.

I close the trapdoor on my way down the ladder rungs, making a disgusted face when I catch a whiff of the sewer water. By now I should probably be used to it, but even Gabe's stench couldn't compare to this.

My feet make a light _thump_ noise when I hit the ground, and holding my breath, I grab a pair of black shades from my back jeans pocket. I turn them on by holding my thumb to the temple of the glasses for five seconds before putting them on.

"Its dark in here." My voice echoes slightly throughout the tunnel and I wait for the shades to work their magic. As expected, the night vision mode is now on and I can see practically every detail around me.

That's the great thing about our gadgets; once you get a hang of them, it's easy to do pretty much anything. These glasses for example don't just work as night vision goggles. With simple phrases like, "Its dark in here", or, "I wonder what the temperature is", you can change them from night vision to heat vision. Simple.

In the distance, I see the outline of something that resembles a garage door with the sewer running down under its middle. I fast walk towards it, knowing that on the other side of that door are perhaps thousands of passageways leading to all sorts of locations, one of which includes the neighborhood where I grew up.

I open the garage door just enough to be able to crawl under it, and cough out a bit of dust when I reach the other side. I look to my left and where a bare wall is supposed to be stands thousands of doors side by side with bronze plaques above them telling where they lead. I pick myself off the ground and count each door as I walk.

_1…..2…4….7….8…15….20…_

I freeze when I reach the door I'm looking for. Door number twenty-five, the one that holds all my past dreams and nightmares. Above it the plaque reads:

_East One-hundred-and-fourth and First. New York, New York._

I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding, and push the door open. Another set of ladder rungs leads to one of those circular sewer covers with designs and the words NYC SEWER etched into them. Once I climb to the top, I push open the cover and finally get a nice breath of fresh-ish air. I make sure that no one is around, before I pull myself out onto the pavement and put the cover back in its place.

I switch my sunglasses to eavesdropper mode, and examine my surroundings to see that I am standing in the parking lot of my old apartment. I'm overcome with nostalgia when I see the kitchen light of my past home is illuminated and I climb the emergency stairs until I am standing in the shadows right outside the kitchen window. Knowing that the windows are tinted, meaning I can see in but no one can see out, I look inside without the caution of hiding my face. The scene before me makes me feel like an eight year old once more.

"A snake! You're a snake!" A now twelve year-old version of Tyson is shouting out guesses at a man making animal impressions and I can see that's its obvious they are playing charades.

"Come on Paul! Give us a clue!" My mom is recording the man with a video camera, while trying to hold in a laugh.

I wish she wouldn't. It's been a long time since I've heard it and it's the thing that we've shared when we were in a good mood. The thing that's given me hopes all these years.

"Then that would be cheating!" Paul goes back to flailing his arm up and down in front of his face. "One more guess!"

"You're sneezing!" Tyson seems desperate to find out what Paul is imitating and I can't blame him. The guy looked like a possessed walrus right now.

My mom snaps her fingers and I know she's got the answer. "You're pretending to be an elephant!"

"Ding! Ding! Ding!" Paul claps his hands. "Sally Jackson is the winner! Everybody lets all give her a round of applause!"

Tyson starts cheering and before I know what I'm doing, I clap along.

"Okay you two, save your energy for the cake." My mom takes out a cake (blue as always) from the refrigerator with the words "Happy Twelfth Birthday Tyson" written on it in red icing. My stomach growls slightly at the sight of the delicious goodness.

Paul lights twelve candles and places them onto the cake, while my mom puts the video camera away.

"Before we sing happy birthday, I want to say something." Paul states. "Is that alright with you guys?"

"Yes Paul, go ahead." My mom leans forward, intent to hear what he has to say.

"Meeting you at that tutoring session last year was the best thing that has ever happened to me in my entire life." Paul aims this comment at my mom. "And….I wouldn't want to change that in any way. Now that Tyson is turning twelve I realize that he's getting older and in need of someone to look up to. So to have that he need to have people to be there for him to provide some type of role model."

_Tyson's got me, even if he doesn't know it._

"A fatherly figure of some kind who will always stay by his side. Not only that, but I think that you need someone too Sally, someone who will be with you until the end of time. What I'm trying to say here is….Sally will you…" Paul slips his hand into his jacket pocket.

I lean forward in panic. He's not going to-no he can't-but if he does…

"Will you…."

I can tell that my mom is expecting the same thing as me because a kaleidoscope of emotions crosses her face. I cross my fingers that what we're both expecting isn't true.

"…go to me if you need anything? Both you and Tyson mean the world to me and I want to make sure that you know I'm here for you." The words come out in a rapid succession.

Paul takes out his empty-handed hand from his pocket with an expression of someone who's about to faint.

I uncross my fingers with a sigh of relief, but feel guilty about it immediately when I see the look of disappointment on my mom's face. We were both expecting a proposal of a different kind.

Tyson has an air of confusion surrounding him when he notices how tense the two adult's body language is. Poor kid.

"What a lovely statement Paul." My mom manages to stutter a few sentences. "Um-I was thinking you were about to_ propose_ something else. I mean-not that I have any idea what…but there's always something to be expected. Er…"

_Hint hint, Paul._

"Yeah, I was being a bit dramatic I guess. Not that I wasn't going to-" Paul seems just as lost as my mom-"well I was, but I couldn't ummm….."

A few painful seconds pass before Tyson decides to break the ice. "How about that cake? It looks great mom! Amazing baking as usual! Look my names on it right there! Just waiting to be devoured by a bunch of hungry humans!"

_Real smooth, Tyson. _

"Actually, I think I've got to go now." Paul grabs his jacket from a nearby coat rack. "It's getting late and I've got high school orientation coming up. As a teacher, I've got to get things ready!"

"Are you sure?" My mom seems flustered. "You can't stay for some cake? Can I at least wrap some up for you?"

"No no, it's alright." Pauls' already halfway to the door. "Maybe I can pick some up tomorrow? Around four?"

"Oh-okay then." My mom nods her head slowly. "I'll be here."

"Thank you. Bye Tyson!" Paul waves his hand awkwardly. "See you tomorrow! Happy birthday!"

"Thanks-" the door slams closed mid Tyson's sentence-"Paul."

A few minutes of silence pass and I can see Paul walking towards his car muttering to himself.

"Idiot….wimped out…ruined…..Tyson….I'm so stupid!" Paul face palms himself and then drags himself into his car. I can hear the car screeching in the distance.

Back inside the apartment, my mom is beet red and staring at the ground.

"That was…..awkward."

I roll my eyes. _Way to state the obvious, Tyson._

"Here…why don't we just sing happy birthday?" My mom puts a half-hearted smile on her face.

"I'm thinking I should just blow the candles this time." Tyson tries to not make my mom feel more uncomfortable than she already is. "Lets skip the song."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, the candles are starting to melt anyway so…."

"Okay then." My mom says. "Don't forget to make a wish."

Tyson closes his eyes in concentration and then blows his candles. I notice that his shoulders seem to droop.

"What did you wish for this year?" I can tell by my mom's voice that she already knows the answer.

"The same as always." Tyson's voice drops down to a whisper. "That he'll come back."

"I miss him too, sweetie." My mom moves to sit next to Tyson and enwraps him in her arms. "I'm still not used to seeing his room so empty."

I know that they are talking about me.

"I don't get it." Tyson removes himself from my mom's hug and I can see that he is trying to hold back tears. "Why did he leave us? Why is he turning into dad?"

I bite my tongue to keep myself from calling out to Tyson. To keep from saying, _"I'm here! I never left you! I was trying to protect everyone! Look outside! I didn't forget your birthday!"_

"He's not turning into your father." My mom seems to be trying to reassure herself. "He must've had a reason for going away."

"What could possibly make him want to get away from us?" Tyson seems more heartbroken than angry. "I thought he cared. I _really_ did."

_I do care. Even when you least knew it, I was doing something. _I bite the inside of my cheek until I taste blood to keep from screaming._ Who do you think was the one that got rid of Gabe? _I smile slightly at the memory of what I had done to him. _That was most certainly not an accident._

"Tyson, please, lets not talk about this." The tears flowing down my mother's face make me want to punch myself. "Not today. Someday we'll see him, I know we will."

"By then I might not _want_ to see him anymore." Tyson says in a hushed voice. "He abandoned us, and took it all for granted. What type of brother leaves his family without any type of explanation, but some stupid note? "_'Whether you can see me or not, I'll still be here. Don't call the police. They won't find me_."', what did he mean by that?"

My mom averts her eyes. "I don't know."

"Well, until I get some proof that he didn't really leave us, I never want to call him my brother again." Tyson grabs a slice of cake and pretends that nothing happened.

My mom watches him in silence for a few seconds, and then sighs.

Outside, it starts to rain, but I don't move. I let the water soak me and hope that the empty feeling in my chest will be washed away.

_He thinks I don't care about them. He thinks that I'm just like dad._

I close my eyes.

_Well then, it's about time I give him the proof he wants._

"_Happy Birthday Tyson."_

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**NOT MUCH HAPPENED IN THIS CHAPTER, RIGHT? YEAH...I DID THAT ON PURPOSE. THIS IS LIKE THE CALM WATERS CHAPTER. THE FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY BEFORE THE REAL ACTION COMES IN. *EVIL LAUGH***

**ANYWAY, THE THING THAT HAPPENED TO GABE WAS KIND OF MEAN IF I DO SAY SO MYSELF. IT'LL BE REVEALED LATER ON, BUT WHO EVER HAS THE CLOSEST GUESS TO WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM WILL GET A CHAPTER DEDICATION. YAY!**

**OH AND IF YOU DIDN'T GET THAT AWKWARD PAUL AND SALLY SCENE, WHAT HAPPENED WAS THAT PAUL WAS ABOUT TO PROPOSE TO SALLY, BUT WIMPED OUT AND DIDN'T DO IT. **

**IF YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED, I CAN BE QUITE CRUEL TO MY CHARACTERS.**

**REVIEW, FOLLOW, FAVORITE, OR GO RIDE ON A UNICORN!**


	11. Queen Vs Ocean

**HEY GUYS! ITS BEEN WHAT...SEVEN DAYS SINCE I LAST UPDATED? I THINK SO, DEPENDING ON HOW OUT THERE OUR TIME ZONES ARE. I FELT LIKE THIS WAS A MORE "EH" CHAPTER, SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU GUYS WILL THINK OF IT. LETS HOPE THAT THIS WILL BE AN ENJOYABLE READ!**

**DISCLAIMER: I. AM. NOT. RICK. RIORDAN. NEED I SAY ANY MORE?**

_**"Probably some of the best things that have ever happened to you in life,**_

_** happened because you said yes to something. **_

_**Otherwise things just sort of stay the same."**_

_**-Danny Wallace, Yes Man**_

**PERCY'S POV-**

"_Have a great day at school Percy!" _

"_Thanks mom!" I waved at my mom, smiling like an idiot at the thought of meeting Annabeth at the bus stop. Annabeth. Even her name makes me feel one hundred times happier than I already am._

_Today it is my twelfth birthday and ironically also the first day of school. Ironic why, you may ask? Because I hate school. Just the thought of all those math problems and floating letters should be enough to make me want to ditch it all together, but my excitement for what Annabeth has in store for me definitely outweighs any insecurities I may have for what lay ahead. _

_See, whenever it's my birthday Annabeth tends to go all out with the surprises, doing her best to make feel like the happiest person in the world. Last year, when my birthday fell on a weekend, Annabeth took me to the amusement park that opened up near her house. I remember every detail of the day, from the exploding hamburger prank I pulled on a biker with anger issues (long story) to the embarrassing trip we took on the Thrill Ride O' Love (even longer story) and even the small talk we had about Greek mythology afterwards. It was all in all one of the most amazing days in my life, thanks to Annabeth, and now I was looking forward to what was coming next._

_I got to the bus stop, expecting to see her waiting, but stopped in my tracks when I saw that she wasn't there. In fact, no one was. I checked the time and saw that it was 7:34, which only confused me more because the bus was supposed to be here four minutes ago. I scoped the area for some sign of life, but saw nothing, not even a bird in the sky. _

_A black dog appeared where only a few seconds ago there had been nothing. It barked and wagged its tail._

"_Hey doggie!" I have a soft spot for dogs. "Where's your owner?"_

_The dog barked again and shook its head in the direction of a man wearing what looked like a trench coat in the distance. I couldn't really see his face due to the start of fog blocking my view._

"_Excuse me sir!" I yelled. "I think your dog wants something!"_

_The man made as if he didn't hear me._

"_Sir!" I walked toward the dog and saw that it was a purebred Rottweiler probably only a year old. "Come on, I'm going to take you to your owner."_

_Woof!_

_I beckoned the dog to follow, but it didn't move. "Here boy!"_

_I received the same reaction from the dog as I had from its owner._

_I checked my watch again and saw that it was still 7:34. "What the…?" _

_The dog's tail starts to thump up and down, up and down in a hypnotic manner._

_Woof!_

_My reverie breaks when the dog barks. I check its collar and see that his name is Cerberus; like the three-headed monster that guards the underworld._

"_Cerberus!" I take a few steps towards the man in the distance and the dog follows, responding to his name. "Finally." I sigh. _

_When I am at last close enough to see the mysterious man's face, he lifts his head and looks me straight in the eye, only….he has no eyes. In the place of the brown orbs I was expecting are empty sockets that hold nothing, literally seeming to contain only darkness. _

_He must be expecting me to scream, because he holds I finger to his lips, giving me a silent command to be quiet. I obey and hold in the shriek that was making its way to my throat. The man draws Cerberus to him with a lazy wave of his fingers, and points at something behind me. I turn to look and see that the fog has blocked my view and that the man was only trying to distract me so that he would be able to disappear. I gulp._

_Soon enough, the fog becomes so dense that I am no longer able to see my own hand in front of my face. The simple task of breathing becomes a chore due to the water vapor taking over the air._

"_Help!" _

_My head snaps up when I recognize the voice. "Annabeth?"_

"_Percy!"_

"_Annabeth!" It is no longer a question that the cry belongs to my best friend. "Where are you?!"_

"_Over here!" Annabeth's voice sounds strained. "Help me!"_

"_Wait!" I follow the sound of Annabeth's cries. "I'll find you!"_

"_Hurry!" Annabeth sounds close to passing out._

"_If I was you, I'd go home quick!" I jump at how close the new voice is to me. "Don't want to be caught in the middle of this, do yah?"_

"_Thanks, I guess I'll take your advice and go home now. Before something worse happens."_

_Suddenly, the fog cleared out and I was now standing in the middle of a drug store with a boy and two men talking a few feet in front of me. I could only see the back of the boy's head, but I still knew who he was, even before he spoke._

"_Right you should! Good luck!" _

_The future-I mean, past- version of myself turned and walked straight through me as if I was only made of air. _

"_What a jittery fellow," said Bill, leaning on the counter._

"_He was probably just nervous." George looked straight at the now four years older version of me. "Weren't you Percy?"_

_I opened and closed my mouth like a fish. _

"_Eh…look at him." Bill smirked. "He can't even bring himself to face the consequences."_

"_I didn't kill you." I managed to choke out the words I was desperate to believe. "It wasn't my fault that Kronos's army blew this place up. I only ran away because I wanted to stop them."_

"_You were afraid of getting yourself killed." Bill and George spoke in unison, having the effect of hissing snakes. Their faces started to corrode and show their skeletons, like an orange being peeled of its skin. "You ran away because you wanted to hide!"_

"_No." I shook my head and tried to deny what the ghosts of Bill and George were saying, but that only made them burst into laughter. _

"_You killed us!" Bill howled with glee. _

"_The Army was led here by you!" George started to turn into dust._

_I felt my chest grow heavy with the terrible scene unfolding in front of me. I tried to flee the store, but was pushed back when the door shut, blocking my path._

"_Oh no!" Bill's skeletal form wagged his finger from side to side. "You'll stay and burn with us! Bianca is dead and you've shunned Annabeth! What else do you have left? Everyone thinks you've abandoned them! What's the use of having you live anymore?"_

_I clutched at my throat when I realized that I was choking with the sudden spur of smoke and ashes appearing all around me. Random items in the room burst into flames and I could feel myself burning….burning….gasping for a single breath. George and Bill turned to black dust, leaving me alone to wallow in my own pity and physical pain. _

"_**It was your fault Percy!"**_

"_No." I didn't know where the voices were coming from; all I knew was that I was being swallowed by flames and self-loathing._

"_**You killed Bianca!"**_

"_I couldn't have!" I fell to my knees and saw that my hands were covered in red welts and blisters. When will the pain end!?_

"_**And most importantly…..you can never have any contact with those you love."**_

_My vision was starting to be invaded by the colors red and orange, intertwining like the chains on a golden bracelet._

"_**Because then you'll end up murdering **_**them**_** too."**_

_The last thing I heard as I was being swallowed by the deadly blazes of my fiery grave was the sadistic cackling of a voice I did not recognize, nor think I ever will. _

_The voice of someone gone insane with grief._

**XXXXXXXXXXX LINE BREAK XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

After dunking my head in the sink water for the fifth time, I looked at myself in the mirror and saw that my eyes still held the fear I was trying my best to get rid of. Water dripped down my face and made tapping noises every time it hit the tiled floors. My chest rose up with the effort of my every breath, showing just how much strain I had put my lungs through.

No matter how strange it may sound, the worst part of my nightmare wasn't the dream itself, but waking up from it. Shooting up from my bed in cold sweat, and trying to put out the flames on my body that weren't really there until I at last got myself together isn't the way I want to start my morning. Especially not today; August eighteenth.

Today is the day of all days when I'm supposed to be at my best, and here I am freaking out about some recurring nightmare! It always starts out with a happy memory, but ends up with me relieving an even crueler version of the drug store exploding from four years ago. Why couldn't the past just leave me alone?

I had absolutely no desire to remember Annabeth because then I would miss her even more than I already do. I would smile at the inside jokes we used to share and the things she would entrust me with, but then end up feeling like a complete jerk when the memory of those last few words I left her with would catch up to me.

My eyebrows furrowed when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Did I really spend my last day at home hurting those I love?

Someone pounded on the bathroom door.

"Percy we all know you're a good looking dude, but we've got a line here and admiring yourself in the mirror isn't going to make it any shorter!" Travis sounded annoyed. "Stop hogging up the bathroom and get out of there already!"

"I'm almost done!" I splashed water onto my face for the last time and put my plain orange shirt back on.

"Time to face what's ahead." I whispered.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX LINE BREAK XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Perseus Jackson?"

I glared at the blonde haired messenger. "I go by Percy. You know that more than anybody."

Luke grinned. "Sorry, I forgot you were so touchy about your name. Chiron's calling you."

I jumped up from the breakfast table and ditched my toast. "What does he want me for?"

"I'm not sure, but it looks pretty urgent." Luke pointed towards the hall leading to the meeting room. "I'd advice you to cover your ears, Reyna and Chiron were having a bit of a disagreement when I was there."

"Thanks for the warning." I mock saluted Luke and turned to leave.

"Wait." Luke grabbed my shoulder.

I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"Happy birthday." A mischievous look flickered across Luke's face. "You'll find that I left you a little something in your room."

I gave Luke a surprised expression because I thought that everyone forgot about what only I was expected to know.

He gave me one last pat, before walking away.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX LINE BREAK XXXXXXXXXXX**

Saying that Chiron and Reyna were having a disagreement was a massive understatement. A more appropriate term would've been catfight.

Reyna's voice only got louder when I opened the door, meaning I think she might've popped one of my eardrums. She wasn't really yelling, just talking really _really _loud, like she was trying to hold back the bellows she so yearned to let rain down on poor Chiron. I could see my blonde-haired buddy, Jason, trying to restore peace between the two of them. When I walked into the room, only he seemed to notice me and mouthed the word _help _in what seemed like desperation.

"I can do it on my own." The vein on Reyna's forehead seemed close to popping. "I don't need anyone else's help when it comes to doing my job."

Chiron narrowed his eyes. "I'm sorry Reyna, but it is necessary for you and Jason to remain inconspicuous and going on this quest makes that very difficult."

"This is a serious situation." Reyna growled. "Percy may be capable on a novice level, but what you want him to do is beyond his abilities."

"I take offense to that," Reyna gave me a startled look at my sudden appearance, "and anyway, what was the last time you've seen me on an _actual_ mission?"

"There's a difference between missions and quests, Percy." Great. Reyna was now angry at _me_ too. "Quests are only available for fully fledged members of The Olympians, which _you _happen not to be."

"I turned sixteen today." I shot back. "I completed all the tasks a member has to achieve to get initiated and I'm now old enough to be determined. If Chiron wants to give me a quest, then you can't stop him. Right Chiron?"

I expected Chiron to agree with me, but he avoided my gaze.

"Right Chiron?" I repeated.

"About that…" Chiron drifted off.

"What's wrong?" I was getting worried. Today was supposed to be the day I became an official member of The Olympians, and the day my father finally revealed to me who he was. Surely nothing could interfere with that?

"Your father took back his er-promise." Chiron started to inspect his fingernails.

"Stop being such a procrastinator and tell him what happened already." Reyna snarled. "Or I will."

"The thing is, your father doesn't believe that you proved yourself enough to become determined." Chiron shook his head. "I told him that his decision isn't a very wise one, but of course he's above me in status and I can't do anything to change his mind. He wants you to go on a major mission, because until then he declines to accept you as his son."

My worry faded as quick as it had come, now replaced with anger at my father. "Then that fine right? I don't see the big deal. I can finish one more mission and we're done here."

"The problem is," Reyna didn't let Chiron answer, "the mission Chiron wants to send you on is one that I would prefer to handle myself."

"Well, what is it?" I asked.

"Chiron wants you to go back to your normal life and pretend that you quit The Olympians." Jason explained. "A member of Kronos's Army is posing as a student in one of the high schools and he wants you to somehow find out who he is and gain his trust. That way, you may be asked to join their army and find out where they keep headquarters once and for all."

"Oh…." I tried to put on my best confident face. "I can do that."

"No you can't." Reyna glared daggers at me.

"Why not?" I crossed my arms

"Because this has more to do with me than you." A distant look entered Reyna's eyes. "I have a personal grudge against Kronos's Army that I plan to settle using this mission."

"We all do, what makes you any different than any of us?" My question was aimed at Reyna, but Jason went on defensive.

"Don't ask a question that won't get answered." This was on of the first times that Jason's ever gotten mad at me. "What happened to Reyna isn't the business of anyone who wasn't involved in it."

"And _you_ are?" My intended come back backfired on me.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I am." Jason leaned back on his chair. "But I still agree with Chiron that you should be the one to go on this mission. Its too much of a risk that they'll recognize Reyna as praetor."

"I'll be careful! Every step I take will be done with caution!" Reyna was trying her best to convince Chiron that she should be the one chosen for this mission.

"Alright then." Chiron clasped his hands. "Reyna can go on this mission."

"Yes!" Reyna's composure broke and she fist pumped the air.

"If-" Reyna's eyes widened "-Percy decides to let you take it instead of him."

I smirked, knowing that Reyna's chances got lowered down to zero percent.

"I agree." Jason nodded his head. "Except that I think we've better be a bit more fair and tell Percy the ummm….risks."

"What risks?" I tilted my head in curiosity.

"Oh there's only one and it isn't too bad." Jason became suddenly very interested in his purple Legion T-shirt. "Its just the usual chance of death times a hundred. No biggie."

"I'd appreciate a _bit_ more detail." I pinched my thumb and pointer finger together as the sign for a little. " Particularly on the death thing?"

"If you do manage to get into Kronos's Army, there is a chance that things can go wrong and that they'll realize who you are which will result in a probably very painful death." Jason indicated Reyna, sitting next to him. "That's why Chiron is still skeptical on the idea of sending Reyna on this mission. If she gets caught, then we'll lose a praetor and at the brink of a battle that isn't something we want."

I stood there like a moron for a few minutes until it dawned on me that the real reason Chiron wanted to send me on this mission wasn't because he believed I was capable; it was because if I happened to die, there wouldn't be any significant difference. Life would go on as if nothing had happened, where areas if Reyna died, there would be total chaos. I've got to admit that learning this gave me a big "ouch" moment.

Reyna must've mistaken the crestfallen look on my face for fear because she turned back to Chiron in triumph. "See? He's afraid! Send me instead and this will be over with in a few months tops!"

"Hold on." I challenged Reyna. "Who said that I didn't want to go?"

"But-"

I cut off Reyna's protest. "If this is what it takes to get into The Olympians, then so be it! I am going on this mission!"

Everyone currently in the room was stunned to silence by my sudden determination. Everyone but me.

I couldn't stand the idea of backing down when Chiron and my father seemed to have so little faith in me as it is. This was my chance to prove myself and I wasn't going to let it soar by.

"Its settled then." Chiron wheeled back on his wheelchair. "Starting next month, you will be enrolled into Goode High school. "

"This is an outrage!" Reyna stood up in her seat so fast that her chair got thrown back. "Chiron, you are being completely unfair! Its obvious that I am better suited for this!"

Chiron ignored her and wheeled past me, out the door.

"Chiron!"

"Reyna its okay. Calm _down_." Jason reached into his pocket and handed Reyna a small square packet. "Here, have some peanuts."

"How are peanuts supposed to make me feel better!?" Reyna was going completely hysterical.

"They aren't." Jason followed after Chiron. "I just don't want them anymore."

Now that Reyna and I were alone, I could see that not getting to go on this mission meant more to her than I thought. Without warning, I started to apologize.

"Reyna I'm really sorry. I only did it because-"

"Go." Reyna refused to look at me. "Get out of here."

"Reyna-"

"GO!"

I shoved my hands in my pocket and decided that I would only make things worse by staying. I left the room without another word, silence following in my wake, although I could swear that I heard a sob when I was halfway down the hall.

_Hopefully, accepting this mission will be worth it._

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX LINE BREAK XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**WHAT DID YOU GUYS THINK? GOOD, BAD, MODERATE?**

**MESSAGE TO YOU GUYS: REMEMBER HOW IN THE LAST CHAPTER I SAID THAT WHO EVER GUESSED CLOSEST TO WHAT HAPPENNED TO GABE IN A REVIEW GETS A CHAPTER DEDICATION? WELL, I CHANGED IT UP A BIT. NOW ITS: WHO EVER GUESSES CLOSEST TO WHAT HAPPENED TO GABE IN A REVIEW GETS A CHAPTER DEDICATION AND A FIVE HUNDRED WORD CHAPTER SNEAK PEEK :)**

**GUEST REPLIES-**

**GUEST: (WHO STARTED OUT THEIR REVIEW WITH ":OHMYGOD THIS IS AWESOME")**** THANKS! ITS NICE TO KNOW THAT I'M DOING A GOOD JOB! AND PSH! YOU'RE AWESOME!**

**COOL: THE NEXT CHAPTER IS NOW HERE, BUT YOU PROBABLY JUST READ IT SO AT THIS POINT I'M JUST BEING WEIRD AND POINTING OUT THE OBVIOUS. HUH, YOUR GUESS IS ACTUALLY CLOSER TO WHAT HAPPENED THAN YOU MAY THINK. **

**guest1234567890- I HOPE I GET TO UPDATE MORE TOO! MY FUTURE ENGLISH TEACHER GAVE ME HOMEWORK DURING THE SUMMER THOUGH SO THAT KIND OF MESSES WITH MY SCHEDULE *SIGH*. IT'S LIKE THE WORLD IS CONSPIRING AGAINST MY UPDATING FASTER! GRRRR..ANYWAY, THANKS FOR LOVING MY STORY :)**

**JORDAN- I'D RECOMMEND KLEENEX FOR THAT, AND CHOCOLATE. LOTS AND LOTS OF CHOCOLATE. I REALLY DON'T KNOW HOW I CAN BE SO CRUEL. HOW DO I LIVE WITH MYSELF WHEN I HAVE THE HEART TO MESS WITH SUCH NICE FICTIONAL PEOPLE LIKE PERCY, SALLY, AND TYSON?! I FEEL SO ASHAMED :(**


	12. Welcome To Goode High!

**I HAD SOOO MANY MISTAKES WHEN I EDITED THIS, BUT HOPEFULLY I GOT THEM ALL. I TRIED TO UPDATE A LITTLE FASTER AND ACTUALLY WORKED ON THIS DURING A CHILDREN'S PARTY WHILE I WAS CHEWING ON A TACO. YUM :3**

**DISCLAIMER: PERCY JACKSON DOES NOT BELONG TO ME! RICK RIORDAN CREATED HIM! NOT ME! **

_**"We are all born ignorant,**_

_**but one must work hard to remain stupid."**_

_**-Benjamin Franklin**_

**ANNABETH'S POV- **_**CLOSE TO A MONTH LATER**_**-**

I made sure that my car was parked perfectly, before pulling my keys out of the ignition. I smiled with a mixture of glee and excitement when I saw the all so familiar apartment building of Sally and Tyson looming above me outside my car. Here in front of me lied the home of the two greatest people in the world.

I hopped out of my brand new Iacocca Silver Edition Mustang, thinking for probably the millionth time that my newfound wealth was going to take some getting used to. Ever since last year, when I finally decided to forgive my mother for abandoning me with my unloving father, she's been trying to fill the gap that she left me with all those years ago. This included having mother/daughter bonding days, moving me out of my father's house, giving me the very belated "talk", and as she so emphasized; providing me with enough money to last fifty lifetimes.

I popped the trunk of my car, carefully lifting the decently sized box covered in metallic wrapping paper, from in between two blocks of Styrofoam. I made sure to lock my car ere tapping my way up to Sally's apartment.

I wasn't even seven feet away when I could smell the wonderful scent of my second mother's cooking. I tip-toed to her door as to avoid the annoying noises my black heels were sure to make, and hid the silvery box in my hand a little away from the door until I got myself composed enough to knock.

"Mom!" I felt my heart swell at the sound of Tyson's voice. "Do you want me to get the door for you?"

I could hear various dishes being set down in what I assumed was the kitchen and I heard footsteps heading my way. "No its okay honey! Finish your food, I've got it."

A few clicks later, Sally opened the door. Wisely knowing what was coming, I braced myself.

"Annabeth!" Sure enough, Sally wrapped me in a tight embrace. "Oh my gosh! Look at you! What a beautiful dress you're wearing!"

"Annabeth's here?" My gaze landed on a jolly-faced Tyson.

"Right here," I said ", and waiting for one of your special hugs!"

Tyson ditched his plate of food and ran straight into my now open arms.

"I've missed you so much!" I meant what I said and Tyson knew it because it was almost impossible to tell who was hugging the other the hardest.

"Me too!" Tyson stepped back to look me in the eye. "I kept wishing we could've gone with you!"

"Now Tyson, you know Annabeth had to spend some time with her mom." Sally scolded. "Come inside dear, would you like some dinner?"

"Yes please, if it wont be too much of a bother." I said sheepishly.

"Annabeth, you can never be a bother." Sally sent Tyson back to the table. "Just make sure to lock the door."

"Sure thing Sally!" A knowing smile appeared on my face. "Let me get something first though."

Sally seemed a bit confused, but didn't say anything when I disappeared from view to get my late birthday gift to Tyson. Albeit, a look of understanding dawned upon her face when I returned with the box.

"What's that?" Tyson asked, spoonful of mac and cheese halfway to his mouth.

I rolled my eyes at Tyson's endearing naivety. "It's a present for you, silly!"

I shut the door behind me and gently placed the box in front of Tyson, next to his dinner plate.

Tyson eyed me in wonder. "You remembered that it was my birthday?"

"How could I forget?" I poked Tyson in the stomach and he giggled. "Aren't you going to open it?" I turned to Sally. "Is it okay with you?"

"Absolutely! Go on Tyson, you can open it." Sally gave me a warm smile. "It was really sweet of you to think of him while on the trip."

"Well like I said, I missed him." My stomach growled and I could feel my face go beet red with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry! I haven't served you dinner yet!" Sally set me up a place mat next to Tyson, who was at the moment trying to carefully unwrap his present without tearing the paper.

"Do you need any help?" I asked.

Tyson nodded his head bashfully.

"I'll un-tape one side and you'll do the other." I said.

"I forgot to ask," Sally put a plate of potato wedges, macaroni and cheese, and steamed broccoli in front of where I stood struggling with some tape, "how was your trip to Greece?"

I could feel myself turn bubbly with excitement. "It was wonderful! I was allowed to explore all sorts of places and the architecture was stunning! My mother taught me things about each building that even I didn't know!"

"She's a college professor, right?"

"Mhm." I yanked off a piece of tape that stuck to my thumb. "She also works part time in an architecture firm that's sole purpose is to model new college and university buildings."

"She seems like a very busy women." Sally got her own plate ready and sat down. "Doesn't she ever get stressed?"

"The only times she does is when she's _not_ doing something." Tyson and I removed the wrappings and put them to the side. "My mom always has a plan though, so it's very rare."

"You two have a lot in common." Sally grinned. "Its such a relief that things went well."

"That's one of the reasons we got along and it's great because now I don't have to live with my father anymore." I sat down and pushed my chair forward. "We arranged it with the court that I'll now be able to stay with some relatives who live in Manhattan. My mom will come and visit me every break because I wouldn't let her quit her job for me. I'll be sharing an apartment with one of my distant cousins."

"Is she-"

"Wow." We both turned our attention to Tyson's hushed voice. He lifted his gift out for us to see and Sally's eyes widened with astonishment.

Dangling from a ring of incised silver on golden chains were the shapes of skillfully handcrafted marine animals, both mythical and non-mythical, made from a variety of material. This included hippocampus shaped out of a reflective glass that shimmered with the colors of the rainbow, lionfish made of a deep red metal that I assumed was bronze, and dozens of other subtly detailed creatures. Tyson held the fragile mobile with excessive care and I could tell that I had made the right choice in getting him what I did. After all, Tyson has a love for delicate objects.

"Annabeth!" Tyson looked ready to nominate me as president. "I can't find the words to tell you how awesome this is!"

I laughed. "You don't have to! Your face says it all." I gave Tyson a quick hug. "Happy late birthday."

"Thanks!" Tyson gave my hand a squeeze. "I'll be right back! I know the perfect place to hang this!"

Once Tyson left the room, Sally got over her astonishment. "Where did you get the mobile? It looked like it was custom made!"

"A friend of my mom's helped me design it and we worked on it together." Sally chewed on a morsel of her mac and cheese and I took that as my cue to start eating.

"Really?" Sally paused to wipe her hands on a napkin. "How long did it take to make?"

"Around three days or so. Long enough for me to go on a date with his son Leo." I replied.

"_What?!" _I dropped my fork when I heard the sound of a surprised person yelling and a muffled object crashing down onto the fire escape outside.

Sally jumped up from her seat and grabbed a broom. "Is it just me, or did you hear that noise too?"

I grabbed the house phone, ready to call the police. "No, I think someone was spying on us through the kitchen window."

Sally started to walk toward the where the commotion had come from. "I'll check."

I grabbed one of Tyson's baseball bats from the floor and stomped towards the window before Sally could stop me. "No, I will."

I slammed open the window and looked outside. No one was there; the fire escape was empty. "Who ever is out here better leave unless you want me to call the police!"

Sally appeared next to me. "Do you really think someone was listening in on our conversation?"

I scanned the parking area outside and saw nothing. Tyson walked into the kitchen and furrowed his eyebrows at the sight of his mother and I holding household weapons and sticking our heads out the window.

"What did I miss?" He asked.

Sally lowered her broom. "Nothing Tyson, me and Annabeth just thought we heard a noise."

"What type of noise?"

Still scanning the streets for movement, I answered Tyson's question. "The type that makes me want to go curtain shopping with your mom."

**XXXXXXXXXNYANNYANNYANYANNYANNYANXXXXXXXXX**

"Have I already told you that I missed you?" Thalia asked.

"Saying it more often wouldn't hurt." I started to drive again when the red light turned green.

Last week, Thalia had sent me an e-mail asking if we could ride to school together since it would be our first day, and I agreed for old times sake. Now here we were, making our way to school with an old 80's station blaring from the radio.

"You know it would." Thalia flicked my cheek. "Saying things too much takes away from the rarity of it."

"It depends on what the thing is." I slapped Thalia's hand. "Stop flicking me! I don't want to crash."

"_Somebody's_ grumpy." Thalia sing-songed.

"I barely got back from Greece yesterday night. What do you expect?"

"A hug would be nice." Thalia replied. "They make me feel loved."

"You know what would make me feel better?" I asked.

"What, oh dear friend of mine suffering from PMS?"

I glared at Thalia through the rearview mirror. "I'm only letting that pass because I'm driving."

"Nah, its because you think I'm too awesome to injure. Admit it." Thalia snapped her fingers to some Stevie Wonder.

"Telling lies isn't my specialty." I replied. "Anyways, what I really want right now is a good parking spot."

Thalia sat up in her seat. "It fells weird hearing you say that."

I parked my car a little away from the school and removed my key from the ignition. "Why is that?"

"I don't know how to explain it without sounding like a whining prissy."

"Try." I got down from the car, and Thalia followed me up to the school.

"It's like this; years ago we dreamed of all these things happening to us. Having a car was the ultimate thing on the teenage to do list and now that we actually have it, I feel like we won't have much to look forward to later on." Thalia shrugged. "It makes me feel a bit nostalgic."

"I've thought about that too, but I always ended up pushing it out of my head. We're always going to keep changing and there's no way to stop that so why think about it in a bad way?" I playfully hip bumped Thalia. "Weren't you happy when you decided to go punk?"

"You know it!" Thalia popped her leather jacket to emphasize her point.

Thalia and I steered our conversation in a more joking direction, but in the back of my mind I couldn't stop thinking about just how much these years have impacted us. Not one of us had escaped the metamorphosis know as time.

Thalia had taken on a more gothic style, always wearing eyeliner and giving people hell like nobody's business. Unless you really got to know her, you wouldn't understand that she's actually not a mean person. Strangers in the hall are always scared to go anywhere near Thalia, thinking that she's going to rip their throat out or something. I don't blame them, ever since the problems between her and her father got worse she's been more cautious towards who she shows he true self to, but I also wish that people would try a bit more to find something that they can't see with their eyes.

It isn't just Thalia who's become more weary of people. Both Nico and I are careful when it comes to making friends with anyone. These days, strangers refer to us as the "guarded trio" meaning that all three of us have a hard time trusting pretty much anyone. We all deal with it in different ways though, and that's what gives people the ultimate deciding factor on what to stereotype us as. Everyone thinks I'm an over-achieving nerd, Thalia's a freaky goth, and Nico's some anti-social kid addicted to the color black. In reality what people perceive isn't how we see ourselves, and in my opinion that's all that matters.

I mean, yeah I am academic, but not to the point of dropping down exhausted from too much studying. I let myself have a social life and fun in the appropriate times. I admit that Thalia can be cold, yet that isn't her primary characteristic. It takes a while for her to warm up to you and when she does it's totally worth it because she is one of the best people you could ever befriend. And Nico? Well he's even harder to get through. Underneath all that black clothing and slight bitterness, there's a boy who's just looking for a new purpose in life. Once his sister died, he changed his appearance into something darker, making him seem foreboding when he's really only a harmless kid. Speaking of which….

"Sup death breath!" Thalia called up to an annoyed Nico. "Annie's back!"

"I can see that." Nico leaned onto one of the pillars of Goode High, taking shelter in the buildings shadows. "How was the trip?"

"Exciting." Thalia and I hopped up the steps of the school and Nico led us inside. "Have the problems between you and you know…_him_ gotten any better?"

Nico's expression hardened. "I don't know. The last time I talked to that man was a week ago."

Last November, Nico's dad had decided to propose to a girlfriend he's had for five years without telling Nico until a month after he did it. Not because he forgot or was nervous about telling him, but just because he didn't bother to inform his son that he had now replaced his mother. In case you're wondering, yes, I am being bitter here. My father had done almost the exact same thing to me when my mother had left. That's why Nico gets angry when anyone refers to his dad by anything other than "that man".

I don't mind that our father's want to be happy, but it's annoying when to do that they lie to us. Nico's dad never gave him attention and its only gotten worse since the Bianca incident when he decided to neglect Nico for good.

Thalia chose that moment to speak. "We should all get our dad's one of those number one dad mugs for April fools. That would be a pretty hysterical joke."

Nico chuckled slightly, all iciness leaving him. "Nah, my dad's head is so dense he probably wouldn't get the message."

"So_ that's_ where you inherit it from?" Thalia said in wonder. "I figured that it was because you were dropped as a baby."

"I would kick you if it wasn't illegal." Nico grumbled.

"Now, Nico," I gave my friend a mockingly scolding look ", be nice to your cousin."

"I will once she stops being insulting." Nico crossed his arms.

"You look like a whining five year old when you do that." Thalia remarked.

Nico's eyes went wide. "See?!" He pointed an accusing finger at Thalia. "She has no respect for my feelings!"

"Awww! Poor defenseless Nico!" Thalia said in a baby voice. "Did mean old Thalia give his little sensitive heart a booboo?""

Nico flipped off Thalia.

"You two are so immature," I gave Nico a pointed look ", and vulgar."

"Sue me." Nico replied.

I could see the door to our homeroom and I strayed a little behind my cousins because I knew them well enough to know what was coming.

Nico was about to walk into the door, when Thalia pushed him to the side. "Lady's first."

Nico stepped in front of her. "Respect your elders!"

He was about to walk into the class when Thalia yanked him back from his shirt collar. He fell onto the ground with a groan. "I'm taller so your argument is invalid."

Thalia walked went in to take her seat while I helped Nico get to his feet.

Blushing, Nico said, "thanks."

I plopped onto a seat at the back of the class next to Thalia, and Nico sat in front of me. The teacher, a dull-looking balding man, paid us no attention so I tried for a hello.

"Good morning Mr. Boring." I had read his name off my timetable, but as it turns out (and I'm not surprised) neither Thalia nor Nico did.

I could hear Nico trying to suppress a chuckle.

"Hello?" The teacher seemed a bit surprised to have a student greet him.

I was about to say something else, but decided not to when groups of kids started to walk in. I didn't really want to be known as a suck up to the teacher on the first day.

"Hey Annabeth!" I smiled when I saw that Piper, one of our friends, was making her way towards us. Her choppy brown hair was tied into a messy braid and her pants were slightly ripped, but she looked beautiful despite her efforts of playing herself down. She sat down next to Nico. "How are you guys?"

"Dandy as a doughnut." Nico grinned at what he thought was a clever answer.

Thalia gave him her signature 'WTF' look. "I'd be a lot more happy if Nico quit it with the Dr. Seuss impressions."

"I thought that was a pretty good rhyme." He looked genuinely hurt.

Piper rolled her eyes. "Thalia and Nico still bickering I see?"

"The day that they don't will be the day I turn stupid." I replied solemnly.

"That'll never happen." Thalia stated it like it was obvious.

I smirked. "Exactly."

"So did you guys hear about the new kid?" Piper changed the subject.

"No, where'd you hear that?" I leaned forwards because having someone new was a pretty rare occurrence at a school like Goode. Most people went to the High School a few streets away.

"Guess." Piper challenged.

"Drew?" Nico asked.

Piper nodded. Drew was Piper's annoying popular sister. All gossip that spread around Goode was 99.9 percent due to her.

"Figures." Thalia said.

"What'd she say?" Nico tilted his head slightly. We all knew that even if it was gossip, it was truthful gossip. Despite all her other tendencies, Drew was at least honest.

"I was walking down the hall when Drew walked up to me saying, and I repeat." Piper changed her voice to match her sister's high pitched one. "Oh my gosh Piper! Did you see how hot the new guy was!? You can totally tell that he's been working out! Never mind a six-pack! He's got an eight pack! Ugh! He's so yummy!"

Nico choked up some spit. "Did you just say yummy?"

Thalia gave him a disgusted look. "Mind where you aim your mouth snot, you moron!"

Nico was too busy laughing to pay her any attention.

"Anyway, he's supposed to have homeroom with us." Piper finished.

The bell rang, signaling everyone to be quiet. Well, almost everyone. Nico got in one last "yummy" followed by a snicker.

"Okay class," Mr. Boring said in a dull voice ", pay attention please. Mr. Butch has come to speak to you about a certain matter."

At the sound of this, we became all ears. Our principal, the said Mr. Butch, stepped forward and scowled at the class. "Some of you may not know this, but today we've got a new student. We'll take a few minutes to let you ask him some questions, and then go on with your class. Got it?"

Everyone, minus Thalia, said yes.

"Now without further ado, brats let me introduce you to Peter Johnson."

With the air of something that was rehearsed, a boy with raven-black hair long enough to hide the view of his face walked in.

"_Actually sir," the boy turned to face the class ", my name is Percy Jackson."_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**SO HOW WAS IT? I WANTED TO RE-INTRODUCE YOU GUYS TO NICO, THALIA, AND ANNABETH BEFORE GOING INTO THE DETAILS. DID YOU MISS THEM :D? **

**RANDOM POLL: IF YOU HAD TO CHOOSE ONE, WOULD YOU RATHER BE KNOWN AS A LIAR OR A THEIF?**

**GUEST REVIEW REPLIES-**

**TO GUEST (WHO STARTED THEIR REVIEW WITH :AWESOME CHAPTER): DON'T WORRY, TYSON AND SALLY PLAY A PRETTY BIG ROLE IN THE STORY. THEY DON'T KNOW IT, BUT THEY ARE ONE OF THE FEW THINGS THAT STILL LINK PERCY AND ANNABETH TOGETHER. **

**TO HOTNESS AND MUSIC (WITH A C!)- EH, ITS OKAY. SOMETIME'S I DON'T FEEL LIKE LOGGING IN EITHER. YES THAT IS COMING UP, BUT ITS NOT THE TYPE OF LOVEY DOVEY "PERCABETH" REUNION OTHER STORIES USE. IT'S ACTUALLY NOT VERY CHEERFUL. BUT THE ONLY REASON ITS LIKE THAT IS BECAUSE ANNABETH IS MAD AT PERCY FOR LEAVING EVERYONE BEHIND WITHOUT EXPLANATION. SHE DOESN'T KNOW THAT HE DID IT TO SAVE THEIR LIVES. IF SHE DID THOUGH...KEEP IN MIND THAT THE TWO MAIN CHARACTERS ARE PERCY J. AND ANNABETH C. *HINT HINT***

**GUEST (WHO ASKED IF ONE OF THE CHARACTERS WAS A TRAITOR)- MAYBE. MAYBE NOT. I'M NOT TELLING. WAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!**


	13. Ignorance

**LONG TIME NO UPDATE, RIGHT? YOU'RE PROBABLY MAD. EXCUSES ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CHAPTER SO...YAH. I ATE POSOLE SO I'M IN A GOOD MOOD. **

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THIS BESIDES THE PLOT. ALL THAT OTHER STUFF BELONGS TO RICK RIORDAN/MR. RIORDAN/UNCLE RICK/TROLL RICK/SASSMASTER RICK/THE-TORMENTOR-OF-FANGIRLS-RIORDAN.**

_**"When I was five years old,**_

_**my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life.**_

_**When I went to school,**_

_**they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up.**_

_**I wrote down 'happy'.**_

_**They told me I didn't understand the assignment,**_

_**and I told them that they didn't understand life."**_

_** -John Lennon**_

**ANNABETH'S POV-**

My view of Percy was blocked by Nico who jumped up from his seat in a manner that made him seem like he had been shocked by a bolt of lightning.

"Nico, get your butt back onto that chair!" Thalia hissed. Apparently she wasn't too keen on having him causing a scene.

"Your classmate is right Mr. Di Angelo," Mr. Butch replied," there is no need to get up. Unless you have a question for Jackson here?"

"I only have one." Nico tilted his head in Percy's direction. "What made you decide to come crawling back?"

"Alright Di Angelo, I think it'd be best if you just sat down and-"

"Shh!" Mr. Butch silenced Mr. Boring. "Don't interrupt! I missed my soap opera yesterday and this might make up for it!"

Despite the obvious tension, almost half the class threw strange looks at Mr. Butch.

Percy just stood there without responding. His hair resembled ink, covering his eyes and all emotion that he might have conveyed.

"You promised I'd never have to see you again." Nico took a few slow steps towards Percy. "You haven't stooped so low as to turn into a traitor_ and _liar, have you?"

"You have no idea what you're saying." A shiver ran down my spine at the frigidity of Percy's response.

Nico seemed unfazed, his anger eliminating any sense of fear he might feel deep down. "Really? Just like you had no idea that Bianca was behind that tree?"

It was my turn to butt in. I reached forward and tried to pull Nico back down into his seat, but he shrugged me away easily.

"You don't have to try and get me to calm down anymore," Nico said, "I'm done here."

Nico sent one final glare at Percy, before storming out of the room.

The class was quiet for about thirty seconds until Mr. Butch decided to speak up. "Thalia, would you be so kind as to go after your very angsty cousin for us?"

Thalia nodded her head curtly and walked out of class without so much as a glance in Percy's direction, although I'm willing to bet that she would've gone after Nico even without Mr. Butch's permission.

"Okay then," Mr. Boring clasped his hands, "any other questions for our new student?"

All hands went up, or at least most of them. I wasn't included.

My questioning would come later.

**LOGANLERMANLOGANLERMANISHOTLOGANLERMAN**

**PERCY'S POV-THREE DAYS LATER-**

"Good morning Perce!"

I jumped at the unexpected sound of Grover's voice behind me and spun on my heel. I scanned the room for any sign of life, but saw nothing except for the almost empty interior of my drafty temporary apartment.

"Grover," I asked." Where are you?"

"Over here! In your laptop screen!"

I made my way over to my living room desk and looked at my screen. Instead of my usual wallpaper of the ocean, I saw Grover's cheerful face smiling out at me from his dorm in half-blood alley.

"Are you skyping me?" I didn't know that Olympians were even capable of doing anything as normal as skyping.

"Sort of. This is like a modified version of it." Grover replied.

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's protected so that no one can eavesdrop into our conversation and only Olympians can use it. Awesome right? It's called iris messaging!"

"Yeah it's cool and all but….don't I have to accept a request for us to be able to video chat?"

"Nope. I can just activate your camera and bam!" Grover grabbed a carrot stick and started chewing as if having the power to spy on me was no big deal.

"So I can walk in here naked and be caught on video?" The thought disturbed me.

Grover nodded. "I'd prefer it if you didn't do that though. We're close and all, but not _that_ close."

I carried my laptop over to the kitchen counter so that I would be able to make breakfast and talk to Grover at the same time. "Is there any other freaky invasion of privacy you'd like to tell me about?"

"Hey! I'm just checking your progress!" Grover said indignantly. "It's not like I can call you. The Army can track that."

I rolled my eyes and grabbed my for-once-not-blue plate of pancakes. A sad sight in my opinion, but I didn't have time to get any blue food coloring from the store.

"So how's life in the real world?" Grover questioned.

"Weird." I drowned my breakfast in maple syrup. "Homework sucks and I'm avoiding everyone, but other than that it's freaky to not have to stab at people with deadly weapons."

"You should take the chance to be with them while you can." Grover said. "You might even be able to fix things with Nico if you try."

I knew that by them Grover meant all the people I left behind when I joined the Olympians; Tyson, my mom, Nico, Thalia, and especially…

"What about Annabeth?" Grover asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Ever since I told Grover about the small crush I used to have on Annabeth when I was twelve, he's been insisting that I try to "woo her".

"Aww come on man!" I stabbed my pancakes viciously in an attempt to hide my embarrassment. "You're not going to start up on that Percabeth stuff again are you?"

"It's a legit thing!" Grover shot back. "Even Silena says so and she only supports serious ships!"

"Okay first off, you hang out with Silena way too much and second of all," I put down my pancakes and made a "what" gesture with my arms for emphasis, "what the hell is a ship?"

Grover looked at me with a face that clearly meant he thought I was an idiot. "For your information, Silena is really good with couple advice and how could you not know what a ship is? It's obviously short for relationship! Get it together Percy! That's only fandom 101!"

"Oh my bad! I should've pain more attention in that non-existent fangirl class." I said sarcastically. "All joking aside though, that was a long time ago and she probably hates me right now. They all do. So let's just talk about something else and forget about this, alright?"

"If you say so…."

I lifted my orange juice and started gulping it down.

"I wonder if she's still dating that Leo guy?" Grover said off-handedly.

The noise of shattering glass bounced throughout the house. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

I leaned down with a random rag and started to clean up the mess of orange juice and glass Grover had caused with his comment.

"Percy, I know you've been sneaking out to visit your mom for the past three months. I'm the one that gave Argus permission to let you do it." Grover smiled. "You should also know that there are video cameras hidden all over the city and that I'm in charge of them."

I dumped the trash into a plastic bag as slowly as I possibly could to avoid looking Grover in the eye. "So what, you've been spying on me?"

"Not at all! I was only making sure that there was no one following you." Grover paused for a bit. "Except for that night when Annabeth visited to drop off Tyson's birthday present. I'll admit that at that time I really _was_ spying on you and I've got to say that the reaction you had when you realized that Annabeth had a dating life was quite something."

I'd never felt more grateful about the poker-face classes we had been given as part of training than at this moment. If I didn't know how to hide my emotions, my face would probably have been the color of a ripe tomato. Thankfully that wasn't the case and I managed to suppress blushing. "What'd you expect? I was caught of guard. My reaction was from surprise, but that's it."

Grover expected his fingernails. "Really? Because to me you seemed a bit more green-eyed than usual when Annabeth brought up her Leo guy, if you catch my drift."

"What do you mean by that?" I glared at Grover even though I wasn't really mad at him. I was mostly too focused on trying to calm my racing heart.

"I always have to be blunt with you, don't I Percy?" Grover shook his head in annoyance.

"Huh?" I still didn't get where Grover was going with this.

Grover pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're jealous."

"Of what?" I asked.

"Of Annabeth!" Grover threw his arms into the air. "You're jealous of Annabeth dating Leo! Gosh Percy! As Malcolm would say, ""you are an ignoramus""!"

"How'd you-?"

Grover interrupted me before I could get any further in my questioning. "Don't go into defensive mode, Percy. We both know you like Annabeth more than you'd like to admit. Just don't say I didn't warn you when you finish this mission and are left regretting not making an effort with her or anyone else."

"Why should I? Do you want me to get close to them again only to have to leave afterwards for the second time? I don't want to hurt my friends and family like that!" My friend was starting to get on my nerves and it showed in my irritated tone.

"No Perce, you don't want to hurt yourself." Grover spoke more serious than I've ever heard him since we met. "But what you don't realize is that you're already doing it. You can avoid people all you want, but you can never truly avoid life."

I stood stunned to silence in my kitchen, clutching at my counter in an effort to keep my mind from going haywire.

"Man, I've got to go." Grover grabbed his badge and got up. "Just keep in mind that you'll be leaving behind your biggest 'what if'."

With those as his last words, Grover shut down the iris message, leaving a black spot on more than my computer.

**LET'SFASTFORWARDTHISDAMCHAPTER**

I would love to say that I had a great day after my little encounter with Grover, but then I'd just be lying to myself.

Everything was going okay up until third period when _it_ happened. That is to say, our teacher gave us the worst possible classroom assignment he could've ever thought up.

You see, I kind of sabotaged my timetable. Originally I had been put into a "special" class for people who had problems with English, but when I saw that Paul Blofis worked here I had it done for me that I was switched to his class instead. By Grover, not the school.

I did it so that I'd be able to keep an eye on the man who was supposedly dating my mom and so far I thought he was a pretty nice guy. He let us make jokes in his class (yes, even the dirty ones) and he tried his best to spice things up a bit. I actually kind of liked his class. At least, I did. What he had us do in class today made me have second-guesses.

"Everybody quiet down for a bit!" Mr. Blofis said.

The room went so silent that a slamming locker could be heard from a hall away. Mr. Blofis leaned forward on his desk, looking each and every one of us in the eye.

"I have to ask you all a very important question." Mr. Blofis's voice was low and taciturn. We waited for what he had to say in anticipation. "Answer me honestly. Who here would rather be anywhere else but in an English class? Raise your hands."

Not one hand was left down. Thalia's was the first one up and Nico wasn't here to add his to the group. Both him and Annabeth were in the honor's class.

"Hands down." Mr. Blofis didn't seem bothered by our dislike of his subject. "Now raise your hand if you would rather spend the rest of this class period talking to a friend."

The same things that happened before, happened again.

"Okay then." Mr. Blofis stood back to his full height and clasped his hands together. "That's what we're going to do. I am going to give you each a partner and you are going to talk for the rest for the rest of the class. Who ever manages to keep the conversation going until the end of this period gets extra credit."

People started whispering excitingly to each other.

"Wait! There is a catch." Mr. Blofis gave us all a devious smile. "Your partner will be chosen for a specific reason that does not include being your friend. When I feel that you are all ready, I will tell you what that reason is. This is a small test I am giving you on your social skills and I'm hoping that by the end of the year you may all be able to keep a conversation interesting because this does affect your public speaking. You should also know that this is someone you will be working with for the rest of the year."

I slouched a bit in my desk and started to doodle on my English notebook. It didn't really matter what partner I got because it'd probably be someone I didn't even know or who didn't remember me. I waited for Mr. Blofis to say whom I was with unenthusiastically. I blanked out for a few minutes and started to pay attention right when he said my name.

"Piper and Drew Mclean." Mr. Blofis said, ignoring the two sister's cry of outrage. "Percy Jackson will be partnered with Thalia Grace."

"NO!" Both Thalia and I shot up from our seats and glared at each other for saying it at the same time.

"I will not be partnered with him!" Thalia said, jabbing in my general direction with the phone she'd been previously using to text during class. "I'd rather be stuck with Drew than work together with Percy!"

"Hey!" Drew yelled indignantly from the back of the class.

"Look who's talking!" I growled. "You're the one always strutting around like you own the place!"

"Oh yeah? What about you?" Thalia flapped her hands around and made her voice deep in an attempted impression of me. "I'm Percy and I act all dark and mysterious when I'm really just some-"

"Thalia!" Mr. Blofis gave us both a scolding look. "Neither of you can change partners. You get who you get and accept it."

"Fine." I sat down calmly in my seat, secretly seething on the inside.

Thalia sent Mr. Blofis a death glare, but followed my lead nevertheless although she appeared nowhere near as okay with her partnership as I did.

"Now that we're settled, let's start with moving to sit next to our partner's. I want everyone to move their desks so that they are in contact with who ever it is they got." Mr. Blofis said. "Whiners will be ignored so you might as well go with it."

Thalia's desk screeched as she moved it next to where I sat. She smashed her desk so that it touched mine, narrowly missing my fingers.

When everyone was done, Paul spoke. "There you go. For the rest of the class period I want you to talk to your partner about whatever it is you feel like talking about. I don't mind as long as you learn at least five things about them. Your homework assignment will be to write the five things down. You have to be a good listener to do this though so make sure to keep your ears alert. You may start now."

The classroom broke into a chorus of murmurs and insults.

**THALIA'S POV-**

"So I guess we're forced to talk now, huh?" I started. "Sucks for you because now you don't have an excuse to avoid me."

I analyzed Percy for any reaction, but he just kept that stupid little mask of his on and shrugged.

I faced him head on in a burst of anger. "You do know that this assignment requires two people to participate? That means you have to say something and quit sitting there like some fucking rock. If I can do it then so can you."

Percy cast a glance at me from the corner of his eye, refusing to let me see his face, which was covered by his mop of hair. "I see you've gone punk."

"That is beside the point." I narrowed my eyes. "Why have you been avoiding us?"

"Is this some type of interrogation?" Percy asked. "Because I think you need a warrant for that."

I tried to smash my foot onto his, but he moved it out of the way smoothly.

"Thalia, I'm not your play thing anymore. You can't kick someone and expect them to kiss your ass." I was finally face-to-face with Percy and I didn't like what I saw. Sure he was more attractive, but that didn't make his eyes any less cold or his words any less bitter. "I learned long ago that I'm not a punching bag and I'm sure as hell not here to serve you."

"I don't want to be served." I sneered. "What I want is for you to quick putting up this act because it doesn't work on you. You were always annoying, but at least it was endearing back then. Now you're just down-right irritating."

"Why? Because I don't go out of my way to please queen Thalia?" Percy crossed his arms. "Well sorry because that's never going to change."

I felt my heart rate increase and I clenched my fists. The little shit was doing it on purpose. He knew that I hated it when people assumed I was some spoiled brat and yet here he was doing it himself for the pleasure of seeing me explode. Using the things I disliked against me was a new low for even him, but two could play at that game.

"You're right, some things never change and I'm assuming that's the reason you ditched us right? You were too chicken to face life and decided that it'd be easier to run away." Percy tensed like I knew he would. At least he still hated to be referred to as a coward. "I wonder what your mom said when you begged her to let you live with them again. She was probably too kind-hearted to tell you to take a dump and leave, but I know better. She must've secretly wanted you to get out of her life again. You're just a bother after all."

To my surprise, Percy didn't seem affected by my insults at all. His face was the picture of passiveness and that only made me more livid. All these years spent crying for him, waiting for the idiot to return, and watching my best friend dying on the inside at the loss of her seaweed brain were for nothing. All those tears were wasted on some hollow, inhumane being with no regret who didn't even bother to explain himself.

"Is this supposed to be going somewhere or...what?" Percy said in a bored voice.

"You disgust me." I got up from my desk and stared him down. "Now I know why Nico walked away from you. You're not even worth the fight. Annabeth will be disappointed when she finds out that all her waiting was just A Pyrrhic Victory because let's face it. You're no trophy."

I heard the bell ringing in the background and I grabbed my backpack.

"You don't know how right you are." I was taken aback at how genuine Percy's voice sounded. He walked toward the door, but not before I could tell him one final thing.

"Annabeth wanted me to ask if you wanted to meet her at our old spot at the tree tomorrow afterschool." I said. "I wasn't going to, but I will since I promised. She'll find out for herself if you're still the Percy she once knew."

I didn't expect Percy to reply, but he stopped and stood there for a moment. "Tell her," he paused," that I said yes."

And then he walked out,

_Unpredictable as the ocean._

**WAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKACACAKAKAKAKA**

**_CHAPTER NOTE_- SO HOW WAS THE CHAPTER? DID YOU CATCH THE PERCY JACKSON BOOK REFERENCES? I WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK PEOPLE! ALL AUTHORS NOTE STUFF IS SEPARATED INTO LITTLE CAPTIONS IF YOU ONLY WANT TO SEE CERTAIN THINGS. ALSO. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE FOLLOWS/FAVORITES/ REVIEWS! I DIDN'T NOTICE HOW MANY I GOT UNTIL A FEW DAYS AGO AND I WAS SO HAPPY! GIVE YOURSELVES A PAT ON THE BACK FOR BEING AWESOME!**

**_RANDOM QUESTION_- DO YOU EVER TELL TIME USING SONGS? LIKE IF SOMEONE ASKS YOU HOW LONG A CAR RIDE TOOK YOU, INSTEAD OF SAYING TWELVE MINUTES YOU SAY FOUR SONGS? I DO THAT SO I'M JUST WONDERING IF ANYONE ELSE DOES.**

**_AWESOME STORY RECOMMENDATION_- THERE'S THIS REALLY FUNNY/AWESOME/WELL-PACED STORY I READ A WHILE AGO CALLED "My Gay Best Friend" I WANTED TO SHARE IT WITH YOU GUYS. HERES THE SUMMARY: Annabeth, daughter of a renowned architect, is dealing with both best friend and boyfriend issues. Percy is trying to make his way to the top of the architect business world. Once Percy realizes that connections with Annabeth will secure his position, he poses as a gay man, gaining access to her home and friendship. What he didn't foresee was falling in love with her. IT'S WRITTEN BY Mr. Invisible AND IT'S RATED T!**

**_EXCUSES_- I AM FIFTY THOUSAND TIMES SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING! MY REASONS WERE WRITERS BLOCK, BEING SICK FOR A FEW DAYS (IT TURNS OUT THAT I'M SLIGHTLY LACTOSE INTOLERANT), BEING ON A ROAD TRIP, NOT BEING NEAR ANY INTERNET HOTSPOTS, AND HAVING A MESSED UP COMPUTER. HOPEFULLY THESE EXCUSES ARE COUNTED AS GOOD ENOUGH. AM I FORGIVEN? :(**

**_GUEST REVIEW REPLIES_-**

**TO: GUEST WHO SAID ":You made Percy get friend zoned. Come on really": KEEP IN MIND THAT ANNABETH SAID THAT WHEN THEY WERE BOTH ONLY TWELVE. THINGS CHANGE WHEN YOU GROW UP (FEELINGS, MATURITY, HORMONES, ETC) SO HER OPINION OF HIM WILL PROBABLY CHANGE. ALSO...THE TWO MAIN CHARACTER IN THIS STORY ARE PERCY JACKSON AND ANNABETH CHASE *MAJOR HINT!***

**TO: GUEST WHO SAID :So I just started reading your story and I think it's awesome! Hopefully you update soon:): I FINALLY UPDATED! YAY? IT'S AWESOME THAT YOU'RE STILL READING AND I HOPE YOU KEEP DOING SO! NEXT CHAPTER IS COMING UP...SOME TIME...I DON'T WANT TO MAKE PROMISES.**

**TO: GUEST WHO SAID :Update soon: I'M GUESSING THAT YOU ARE THE SAME GUEST AS LAST TIME BASED ON THE SIMILAR PUNCTUATION IN THE BEGINNING SO...I UPDATED!**

**TO: NotAGuestAnymore: I GET LAZY WHEN I HAVE TO LOG IN TOO :P. I LIKE THE NAME CHOICE THOUGH! YOUR REVIEW ALMOST MADE ME CRY. I'M NOT JOKING WHEN I TYPE THIS. IT WAS SERIOUSLY ONE OF THE NICEST THINGS I'VE EVER READ. YEAH THE CLIFFY SEEMED TO IRK A LOT OF PEOPLE, BUT THERE WON'T REALLY BE A LOT OF ENDINGS LIKE THAT. ALL THE CHAPTERS WILL END DIFFERENTLY. SOME ENDINGS WILL BE EITHER SAD, CONTENT-LIKE, HAPPY, AND LATER ON...FLUFFY :3. EXCLAMATION POINTS ARE MEANT TO BE USED! WITHOUT THEM, EVERYTHING WE TYPE WOULD BE DULL. WATCH: I LIKE MURDERING FLIES. VS. I LIKE MURDERING FLIES! THEY HAVE A DIFFERENT EFFECT...YOU HAVE A VERY SUSPICIOUS COUGH BY THE WAY. MIGHT WANT TO GET IT CHECKED OUT. THANKS FOR THE FOLLOW/FAVORITE!**

**TO: GUEST WHO SAID :PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE UPDATE!: THE CHAPTER IS HERE!**

**TO: GUEST WHO SAID: Update! Best story I've ever read.! Keep writing and update quickly!: I'LL TRY, BUT I CAN'T REALLY SAY EXACTLY WHEN THE NEXT CHAPTER IS COMING ANYMORE. MY SCHEDULE WILL BE A BIT HECTIC SINCE I'LL BE STARTING HIGH SCHOOL AS A FRESHMEN AND HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE STUPID PROCESS AND STUFF. I'LL WRITE WHEN I CAN THOUGH SO TRY NOT TO GIVE UP ON ME! THANKS FOR THE COMPLIMENTS! THEY WARM MY HEART :). **

**TO GUEST WHO SAID: :Please update: ME SHALL TRY. -BAD GRAMMAR ALERT!**

**TO: No.09: YOU'VE GOT IT DUDE! (FULL HOUSE REFERENCE)**

**TO GUEST WHO SAID: :Update soon! This is amazing!: YOU'RE AMAZING! **

**TO GUEST WHO SAID: :Percy's going to get some serious sh*t from Annabeth, Thalia, and Nico isn't he? He has A LOT of explaining to do. I feel bad for him: YOU'VE GOT THAT RIGHT. SO FAR HE'S BEEN CONFRONTED BY NICO AND THALIA, BUT ANNABETH IS UP NEXT. SHE'LL BE MORE PATIENT ABOUT GETTING TO HIM THOUGH SO IT WON'T JUST BE A YELL-FEST. POOR PERCY RIGHT? I THINK HE NEEDS A HUG. **

**TO: HI: YUP. SHE'LL TRY, BUT NOT SUCCEED DUE TO PERCY BEING TRAINED BY EXPERIENCED FIGHTERS AND ALL. HAHA SUCKS FOR HER. HE'S STAYING IN A CRAPPY APARTMENT CHIRON GOT HIM. NEITHER HIS MOM NOR TYSON KNOWS HE'S BACK AND NO ONE HAS TOLD THEM YET BECAUSE THEY ALL ASSUMED THEY ALREADY KNEW. THANKS! I'LL BREAK A LEG! (FIGURATIVELY, NOT LITERALLY)**

**TO GUEST WHO SAID :Please update its amazing: THANKS :) I HAVE GIVEN YOU AN UPDATE!**

**TO GUEST WHO SAID :Plz update: THE CHAPTER IS RIGHT UP THERE. ^**

**TO GUEST WHO SAID: :Plz update I need to find out what happens next: YOU HAVE NOW FOUND OUT! WOOT WOOT!**

**TO GUEST WHO SAID: :Thief. your story is awesome!: I AGREE. AND THANKS! GLAD YOU THINK SO!**

**TO GUEST WHO SAID: :Yupp Another FIC not updated! It's a real shame...: SORRY...**

**TO GUEST WHO SAID: :Hey could you please make Percy all badass and have combat skills and stuff. Thx and keep up the great work: I'M PLANNING ON DOING THAT. THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT I'VE NEVER REALLY WRITTEN ANY ACTIONS SCENE BEFORE SO I'M A BIT SKETCY WHEN IT COMES TO THAT. I'LL TRY THOUGH! I ALREADY HAVE A FEW PARTICULAR GASP-WORTHY SCENES IN MIND. ONE INVOLVES LUKE AND ONE INVOLVES REYNA. THAT'S ALL I'M SAYING :D.**


	14. Stalker Status

**HEY GUYS! MY MUSE IS BACK! I'VE GONE THROUGH THE OBSTACLE ALL AUTHORS KNOW AS "WRITER'S BLOCK" AND NOW IT'S LIKE MY BRAIN IS FEEDING ME A TON OF IDEAS! I'VE EVEN GOT TEN OTHER STORIES PLANNED OUT AND SAVED UP FOR LATER. YAY! THAT MEANS YOU PEOPLE WILL PROBABLY GET MORE UPDATES SO HOPEFULLY YOU THINK THAT'S GOOD NEWS...**

**DISCLAIMER: RICK RIORDAN OWNS ALL THE CHARACTERS! THE PLOT IS SOMETHING GIVEN TO YOU BY A BRAIN FART I MANAGED TO HAVE ONE DAY.**

_**"Typically, I was a validation on your sleeve  
Oh what an indication  
To the center of the pain  
Through your tattered window pane  
To the middle of your heart..."**_

_**-"Selene" by Imagine Dragons**_

**ANNABETH'S POV-**

A gentle breeze blew my hair back in a long wave of curls. I sat primly on the edge of the park bench, backpack straps still pulling down on my shoulders. Today was the day I would finally talk to Percy and I didn't plan on blowing it.

If what Thalia said is true then getting Percy to open up would be a lot harder than it used to be. A few years back, a puppy dogface was counted as enough to get Percy to tell me anything, but I'm not sure that will work anymore. My best bet is to go with a different approach and I knew exactly how I wanted that to be.

I had each and every step strategized to the most microscopic detail and failing wasn't involved. Percy would be my seaweed brain again or I would tear myself apart trying. Figuratively of course.

"Let's get this over with." I almost jumped at the sound of a slightly familiar deep voice. "I only agreed to meet you here so that you'd leave me alone."

The owner of the voice stepped in my line of vision and what I saw made me catch my breath.

The boy standing in front of me was honestly the most handsome person I have ever seen. His eyes were the color of the ocean on a stormy day and his raven hair was swept to the side in messy waves that made me want to run my hands through it. For the first time in my high school life, I agreed with Drew McLean. Yummy was the perfect way to describe this man's washboard abs. This was puberty done right. This was Percy Jackson.

I coughed awkwardly and tried to remain composed. "I didn't think you'd show up."

"Really?" Percy crossed his toned arms over his green V-neck T-shirt. "Then why'd you bother to wait for me?"

I averted my eyes. "Who said I was waiting? I always come here after school. It's become a habit I've never bothered to get rid of."

Percy clutched the straps of his backpack. "Is that all you wanted to tell me then?"

"Nope." I pushed myself up. "Follow me. I want to take you somewhere."

Percy hesitated. "You're not going to kidnap me or something are you?"

"No, we're only going to the basketball court." I tried at a playful smile. "Unless you want me to kidnap you?"

Percy ignored my attempt at a joke and headed towards the recreational area.

"Basketball it is." I muttered.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"We're here," Percy dumped his backpack onto the floor, "now what?"

I grabbed a hidden ball from under a bush. "We do what normal people do in basketball courts; we play."

Percy made a swipe at the ball under my arm, but I slipped away before he could manage it. "Not so fast, Jackson. We're having this game my way."

Percy huffed. "It's basketball! Why do you need to make it so complicated?"

"I'm Annabeth, that's how things work with me." I stepped in front of the hoop. "So do you want me to explain the game to you or not?"

Percy sighed and leaned on a tree. "Go right ahead, Blondie."

I scowled. "Who ever gets three shots first gets to ask the other person a question and they have to answer it or they lose."

"That's it? No rules?" Percy asked.

"Only one," I raised my pointer finger, "none of the questions can have anything to do with things that have happened in the past. The present is what we'll be focusing on for now."

"Sounds good." Percy pushed himself forward. "Ready to lose?"

"Bring it on." My eyes narrowed in determination.

"If you say so." Before I could do anything, Percy shot forward with the speed of lightning and grabbed the ball. In the blink of an eye, he had dribbled it halfway across the court and shot it into the hoop using a bank shot from some ten feet away. I stood there gaping at his newfound skill.

Percy swiveled on his heel to face me and I was irritated to find that he had a cocky smirk plastered on his annoyingly attractive face. "Close your mouth, Chase. I don't think you want some flies nesting on those pretty little lips of yours."

I blushed a bright red, but played it off with anger. "Don't get too high and mighty yet. That was only one shot."

Percy dunked the ball a second time. "Two you mean."

"Ugh!" I ran forward and stole the ball from Percy, blocking his attempts at taking it back. I would've gotten away with it too if he hadn't started tickling me, causing me to drop the ball. Needless to say, he scored a third shot.

"That was cheating!" I yelled.

Percy shrugged. "You said there were no rules."

I crossed my arms and stood there waiting while Percy thought up a question to ask me.

"Why did you send Thalia to ask if I wanted to meet you here? Why not just ask me yourself?"

I hesitated. Admitting that something bothered me wasn't the type of action I did often. "I was….afraid that you'd say no." I shifted from foot to foot. "Disappointment isn't really a feeling I like setting myself up for."

I clenched my fists, prepared for the new Percy to laugh at me, but the snickering never came. All he did was nod.

To sum it up, this is how it went for the rest of the game:

PERCY'S WIN: What's with Thalia's new style?

MY ANSWER: I wouldn't call it new. She's always had that inner punk, she just decided to make it part of her outer appearance too.

PERCY'S WIN: How the hell did Nico manage to get into an honors class?

MY ANSWER: He's smarter than you give him credit for, Percy. It really wasn't that hard.

PERCY'S WIN: Is green still you favorite color?

MY ANSWER: I paused at that one and frowned. "I don't know. I'm still trying to decide if it represents the same thing it used to."

PERCY'S WIN: What did you mean by your last answer? What does it represent to you?

MY ANSWER: Safety, rebellion, and maybe a bit more.

Both Percy and I knew that I was talking in code, but none of us brought it up. When I finally won a round, I asked the question that was constantly on the back of my mind. "Do you think it's still possible for us to go back to the way we were before any of this happened?"

Percy stiffened. "No."

"Why not?" I demanded.

"That's more than one question." Percy pointed out in a hard voice.

"That is it!" I slammed the basketball onto the asphalt floor and jabbed my finger hard into Percy's chest. "This whole game I've been trying to keep my cool, but I just can't take your attitude anymore!"

"You're the one that wanted me to be here!" Percy pushed my arm away roughly. "Why would you care if I'm not the same anyway? We haven't been friends for years and I don't see the point in trying to be close again!"

"I care because this isn't you!" My chest heaved with all my pent up frustration. "It's so obvious that the way you're acting is completely fake! Everything you do is robotic and planned!"

Percy fell back and grabbed at his backpack. "I knew this was a stupid idea!"

"Then why'd you come!?" I shouted.

"I don't know, okay!" Percy rubbed his temples and let out a tired breath. "I have no idea."

"Tell me when you do then." I shoved the basketball back into the bush it came from and stared Percy right in the eye. "Because I can't take any more confusion in my life. I was hoping that seeing you again would clear some things up, but it only served to make everything worse. Thalia is going to be so pleased when I tell her that she was right. You're a complete jerk."

I didn't mean for Percy to hear the last part.

"Oh you two are exactly the same." Sneered Percy. "You both think that you know me like you know the back of your hand, but you're wrong. It'd be best if you gave up on me and left this all alone."

Percy started storming away.

"Fine! Go back to where ever it is you came from!" My voice was choked slightly with tears. "Leave us just like you did back then, but try to take in how much you'd be leaving behind! I'm trying to put things back to the way they were and you won't let me! I don't understand!"

Percy gave me a conflicted look. "You're right. You don't understand and it'd be a whole lot easier for all of us if you went back to your Leo and pretended I never even existed."

I frowned. "How do you know about Leo?"

For a moment, Percy seemed as confused as I felt but then a sudden sense of dawning seemed to overcome him and his eyes widened. "Forget what I said."

"Wait, who told you?" Even as I questioned him, Percy shuffled away quickly. "Percy?"

He put on a set of earphones. "Sorry! I can't hear you! My music's too loud!"

"Seaweed brain!"

Percy ducked into a group of trees and disappeared.

That's when I came to realize that I'd called him by his old nickname.

**LATER THAT NIGHT-**

"So you snuck out without them knowing?"

"Yup." Thalia replied. "They think I'm having bathroom problems. Too much beans."

"Won't they find out though?" I asked.

"Nah!" Said Thalia. "My dad wouldn't bother with me."

"What about Nico? The poor boy is alone!"

"The suffering will do him good." Thalia said lazily.

I bit my lip slightly in concentration. At the moment I was double tasking, creating a design for a museum building that was needed for my architecture class and talking to Thalia on the phone about her current dilemma; dinner with the di Angelo's. Her dad Zeus had suddenly come up with this crazy idea that having dinner with his brother Hades would be a great idea. That meant Nico and Thalia were forced to partake in the torturous family event and pretend they were enjoying themselves.

So what was the problem in all of this? Well for starters Nico was still angry at Hade's for not telling him about his wedding proposal, Zeus and Hades were even worse than Thalia and Nico when it came to getting along, and what else? Oh yeah, Hades girlfriend, Persephone, was also invited meaning that Nico had to be civil towards her, which according to Thalia wasn't going very well. She'd been pretending to be in the bathroom for the past twenty minutes just to avoid the feared awkwardness going on at the dinner table.

"So how'd it go with Prissy?" Thalia asked.

I groaned.

"By your dying whale noises I'm guessing not good?"

"It was terrible." I said. "And somehow he knew about Leo."

"What? I never told him anything and Nico hates his guts right now too much to even look at his shadow. Where would he find out about repair boy?"

"I don't know." I wrote down the measurements for the mosaic dome on my drawing. "I'm still trying to figure it out."

"The faster you do, the better. I swear that kelp head knows more about us than we do him. It's creepy."

"How do you think Nico is holding up down there?"

I could practically hear Thalia wince. "I can hear some hard core yelling going on through the closed door so I'm thinking that he's probably lost his cool altogether."

"You know…." I started." The nice cousin thing to do would be to go back him up."

"Do I have to?" Thalia whined.

"I'm only pointing out-" I stopped mid-sentence.

"Pointing out what?"

"No way…." I breathed in surprise.

"Annabeth?" Thalia sounded worried.

My pencil hovered over my blueprint as a sudden thought struck me. The last time I mentioned Leo was to Sally on the same day we heard someone crashing on the fire escape outside. I never told Percy about Leo so he must've heard it somewhere which meant that the person spying on Sally and I was…..

I slammed my pencil onto my desk, scaring Thalia on the other end.

"Annabeth! What's going on?" Thalia yelled.

"I can't believe it!" Even to me, I sounded scandalous.

"Some more explanation would be nice!"

"It's Percy!" I said through clenched teeth.

"What?" Thalia sounded downright out of it.

"_It's Percy!" I repeated. "That rat has taken up stalking as a hobby!"_

**MEOWMEOWMEOWMEOWMEOW**_  
_

**CHAPTER NOTE: AWWW! HOW CUTE! PERCY'S JELOUSY GOT THE BEST OF HIM AND NOW ANNABETH THINKS HE'S A STALKER! *SNICKER* FOLLOW/FAVORITE/REVIEW?**

**RANDOM QUESTION: WHAT'S YOUR MOST FAVORITE PLACE IN THE WORLD?**

**STORY RECOMMENDATION: "Percy's Bullies" BY Liana Legaspi IS ONE OF THE MOST AWESOME SET OF ONE SHOTS I HAVE READ IN A WHILE! IT'S REALLY GOOD AND VERY DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER BULLY-FICTION I'VE READ. CHECK IT OUT! **

**GUEST REVIEW REPLIES:**

**TO GUEST WHO WROTE: Loved it loved it I have been waiting forever for you to update I absolutely love the story good work keep going: I UPDATED SOONER THIS TIME! WOOHOO! I'LL TRY!**

**TO GUEST WHO WROTE: B, I think: I KIND OF ALREADY DECIDED ON THAT...**

**TO GUEST WHO WROTE: so he joins the army dun dun dun: YUPPERS!**

**TO SO BITTER SWEET: YOUR NAME IS A LINE FROM A SONG I HEARD HAHA! YES I DID! AWW REALLY? *VIRTUAL HUG* AND SPEAKING ABOUT MEETING SALLY AND PERCY...OOOP! CAN'T SAY SPOILERS NOW CAN I?**

**TO GUEST WHO WROTE: OMG I loooove this story plz update asap!: LURV IS IN THE AIR! HERE'S AN UPDATE JUST FOR YOU!...AND THE OTHER 95 FAVORITES AND 161 FOLLOWERS I AM SO THANKFUL FOR!**


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